Americans Criticize Riyadh Comedy Festival Over Human Rights
Marc Maron and human-rights groups have publicly condemned the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia — an event running through Oct. 9, 2025 that features dozens of high-profile comedians, including several Americans. Human Rights Watch issued a statement calling the festival an effort to 'launder' the Saudi government's reputation and urged performers to press Saudi authorities to free detained dissidents; the NPR report cites the U.S. State Department's 2024 human-rights findings and documents some comedians declining lucrative invitations.
International
Human Rights
📰 Sources (1)
Marc Maron, Human Rights Watch and others slam Saudi comedy festival
New information:
- Riyadh Comedy Festival is taking place in Riyadh and runs through Oct. 9, 2025.
- Named U.S. performers associated with the festival include Dave Chappelle, Aziz Ansari, Kevin Hart and Jimmy Carr; critics include Marc Maron, Shane Gillis and Stavros Halkias.
- Human Rights Watch issued a formal statement urging participating comedians to publicly press Saudi authorities to free unjustly detained dissidents, and the article cites a 2024 U.S. State Department report listing serious abuses in Saudi Arabia.