Dave Chappelle discussed his contentious performance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia in his most recent comedy special, Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable, which Netflix discreetly released.
The comedian said in the show that he has no issue accepting money from Saudi Arabia because “it’s easier to talk in Saudi Arabia for me than it is in America.” He also claimed that he was on the verge of being canceled for making jokes about transgender people.
He continued, “I’ve gotta tell you something — transgender jokes went over very well in Saudi Arabia.”
In all of his latest standup appearances from 2019 to 2022, Chappelle has a track record of making anti-trans statements. Despite receiving criticism from other comedians for his transphobic remarks, he has continued to gain accolades and receive invitations to perform on important stages. When it was revealed that Chappelle and many other well-known comedians would be performing at a new comedy festival in Saudi Arabia, most comedy aficionados were taken aback.
The Riyadh Comedy Festival was criticized by many in the comedy industry (as well as human rights organizations) for its affiliation with a government that is known for its harsh laws and numerous civil and political abuses, such as the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the well-known torture of his detractors by Saudi Minister of Entertainment Turki Al-Sheikh.
In addition, same-sex relationships are prohibited in Saudi Arabia and carry a death sentence. The festival and its headliners—Chapelle, Bill Burr, Louis C.K., Kevin Hart, Whitney Cummings, Pete Davidson, and Hannibal Buress, among others—were criticized by these comedians.
However, Chappelle bragged in his ‘special’ about receiving cash from the Saudi government, “I’ll take money from Saudi Arabia any day just so I can say no over here. It feels good to be free.” He continued, “And I know that the people in Saudi Arabia can’t say all the things that I was allowed to say. But a deal’s a deal, and the king said that I could say these things. So I looked at it like I was on a diplomatic mission: I’ve gotta bring pussy jokes to the Middle East.”
The comedian, however, stated that he doesn’t “feel guilty at all” and used some foul language to criticize individuals who have criticized the festival, “These motherfuckers act like because I did a comedy festival in Saudi Arabia I somehow betrayed my principles… They said, ‘Well, Saudi Arabia killed a journalist,’ and rest in peace, Jamal Khashoggi. I’m sorry that he got murdered in such a heinous fashion. And also, look, bro, Israel’s killed 240 journalists in the last three months, so I didn’t know y’all were still counting.”
