Dave Chappelle Criticizes Free Speech in America at Saudi Arabia Comedy Festival

Dave Chappelle criticized the status of free speech in the United States while on stage at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia.

The comedian was one of more than 50 performers participating in the event, which has come under fire for being held in a country which has been accused of human rights violations and an oppressive regime.

“Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you’ll get canceled,” Chappelle told an audience of 6,000, according to The New York Times. “I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m gonna find out.” He then added, “It’s easier to talk here than it is in America.”

Chappelle later noted he feared returning to the United States because “they’re going to do something to me so that I can’t say what I want to say.”

One local audience member — referencing ABC’s brief suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! — reportedly marveled that it was “surprising to hear [Chappelle] talk about [Charlie Kirk] in Riyadh, when just recently America canceled Jimmy Kimmel doing the same.”

Given Chappelle is, obviously, a comedian, anything he says on stage can arguably fall under the rubric of, “well, he was just kidding.” But his comments are, at the very least, rather ironic. In Saudi Arabia, media outlets are licensed by the government and there is a long list of prohibited speech — from anything that inflames public opinion against the state, to promoting any non-Islamic religious expression or speech that supports activist causes. (For instance: In 2022, student Salma al-Shehab was sentenced to 34 years in prison for retweeting women’s rights activists on X; she was later given a reduced sentence amid global outcry).

Even the comedy festival had purported speech restrictions, with comedian Atsuko Okatsuka posting a list of deal terms for appearing at the event which included forbidding any criticism of religion or the Saudi royals.

One comedian, Tim Dillon, says he was disinvited to attend the event for an unearthed joke that he previously made about Saudi Arabia — which arguably sends the message that if you wish to be invited to the Riyadh Comedy Festival in the future, you better not make jokes about the country even when you’re back home.

A representative for Chappelle had no immediate comment.

Comics attending the Riyadh Comedy Festival have come under fire by some for “comedy washing” the Saudi regime in return for big payouts (Dillon says he was offered $375,000, which gives a sense of the potential baseline).

Comedian Bill Burr, after performing at the show’s opening night on Friday, defended the project on his podcast, suggesting that the cultural exchange could have unexpected benefits.

“It was great to experience that part of the world and to be a part of the first comedy festival over there in Saudi Arabia,” Burr said. “The royals loved the show. Everyone was happy. The people that were doing the festival were thrilled. The comedians that I’ve been talking to are saying, ‘Dude, you can feel [the audience] wanted it. They want to see real stand-up comedy.’ It was a mind-blowing experience. Definitely top three experiences I’ve had. I think it’s going to lead to a lot of positive things.”