Henrietta Wildsmith/The Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
Stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle is getting dragged for his decision to and defense of performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival. According to Chappelle, it’s “easier” to talk in Saudi Arabia than America.
Dave Chappelle is just one of many A-list stand-up comics set to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival. In addition to Chappelle, Aziz Ansari, Hannibal Buress, Jimmy Carr, Louis C.K., Whitney Cummings, Pete Davidson, Chris Distefano, Kevin Hart, Gabriel Iglesias, Jim Jefferies, Jo Koy, Bobby Lee, Sebastian Maniscalco, Sam Morril, Nimesh Patel, Russell Peters, Jeff Ross, Andrew Santino, Andrew Schulz, Tom Segura, Chris Tucker, and more were also scheduled to appear at the Riyadh Comedy Festival.
During his set, Chappelle suggested that it’s easier to speak in Saudi Arabia than it is in the United States because of “cancel culture,” specifically mentioning the fact that Charlie Kirk supporters have been trying to get people fired for not properly mourning him. He also noted that 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.”
Dave Chappelle claims it’s easier to talk in Saudi Arabia than America because of “cancel culture”
“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. “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’s comments are entirely undermined by the fact that he and the contract his fellow comedians signed with Saudi Arabia literally barred them from making certain jokes.
Dave Chappelle in Saudi Arabia:
“It’s easier to talk here than it is in America.”
Saudi law makes it illegal to “challenge[], either directly or indirectly, the religion or justice of the King or Crown Prince.”
Also illegal: “any attempt to cast doubt on the fundamentals of… pic.twitter.com/1lh6uko1Yv
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) October 2, 2025
Dave Chappelle said “it’s easier to talk here than it is in America” at a comedy festival in Riyadh where comedians had to contractually agree not to tell jokes about Saudi leadership or religion.https://t.co/4F2UgVzYtU
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) October 2, 2025
Given the way Chappelle use to be revered, his selling out to Saudi Arabia has been particularly hard to swallow for comedy fans.
“Growing up means watching the people you once revered turn into complete f—— hacks,” one annoyed fan said.
Dave Chappelle should try telling a joke about MBS bonesawing a journalist and report back how that goes https://t.co/GQWeQmOjp4
— Armand Domalewski (@ArmandDoma) October 2, 2025
Pretty remarkable that the entire time Chappelle was raging against cancel culture in the U.S. he was actually just auctioning himself off to the highest bidder. https://t.co/t8YGdmcpBM
— Luke Thomas🏋️♀️ (@lthomasnews) October 2, 2025
“Dave Chappelle who went to Africa to avoid his show becoming a soulless grab for a millionaire and Dave Chappelle now are not the same guys,” one disappointed fan summarized.
“Chappelle has become a ‘free speech’ grifter pretending to be in risk of ‘getting canceled’ for years. Putting aside how comics at this Saudi Arabia venue have acknowledged content restrictions, dude said nothing when Kimmel actually was censored. Just cynical bulls—,” another added.
Chappelle’s next scheduled tour date is at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on October 10. It will certainly be interesting to see if Chappelle makes any additional comments about his time in Saudi Arabia once he’s home.