00:00being affected right now.
00:01But then next up in the news,
00:02let's talk about the continued fallout
00:03that we're seeing from the Riyadh Comedy Festival.
00:05And while it's generally been kind of a PR nightmare,
00:07how different people are managing it is very interesting.
00:10Right, some are doubling down on their choice to perform
00:12and others are actually apologizing for it.
00:14Right, I mean, you just had Jessica Kirsten
00:15telling The Hollywood Reporter
00:16that she's donating her paycheck from the event
00:18to a human rights group,
00:19saying,
00:30I am grateful that I was able to do precisely that,
00:32but then adding at the same time,
00:34I deeply regret participating under the auspices
00:36of the Saudi government.
00:37With her noting that the government continues
00:38to violate fundamental human rights,
00:40and so she decided to donate her money to, quote,
00:42an organization that can help combat these severe issues.
00:45Though there, she didn't say which one,
00:46but she then addressed her fan, saying,
00:48I will take full responsibility for my actions
00:50and dedicate myself to making amends
00:51so that my words and choices reflect the respect
00:53and care you deserve.
00:54And so what you saw was,
00:56she said,
00:57and so what you saw was,
01:00among a number of the reactions here,
01:01you had some comics who have been critical of the festival,
01:03now applauding her for donating the money that she earned.
01:05Right, because in addition to just everyday people
01:07and human rights organizations saying,
01:09you know, why are you doing this?
01:10We're pointing to things like Jamal Khashoggi being murdered,
01:12the human rights abuses in the country,
01:14and arguing that these sorts of events,
01:15they whitewash those issues.
01:16So then also inside of the comedian community,
01:18you had many comedians slamming the event
01:20and their fellow stand-ups who participated,
01:22especially as you had people learning about the comics
01:24that had been offered the gig,
01:25but then turned it down on principle.
01:26But how it played out with Kirsten
01:28is not how it played out for everyone.
01:29Right, many of the stars who were involved
01:30are standing by their choice to perform with,
01:32for example, Louis C.K. being the latest.
01:34Right, you had him recently telling Bill Maher
01:35that he was actually surprised by the backlash and adding,
01:38when this came up,
01:38they said there's only two restrictions,
01:40their religion and their government.
01:41I don't have jokes about those two things.
01:42It used to be when I got offers from places like that,
01:44there would be a long list,
01:45and I'd just say, no, I don't need that.
01:47But when I heard its opening,
01:48I thought, that's awfully interesting.
01:49That just feels like a good opportunity,
01:51and I just feel like comedy is a great way
01:53to get in and start talking.
01:54And actually, Louis C.K. pointing to Jessica Kirsten
01:56when trying to demonstrate the positive things
01:58that could come from the festival,
01:59saying there's a woman who's a lesbian and Jewish
02:01who did a show over there,
02:02and she got a standing ovation.
02:03So there's stuff going on
02:04that's unexpected in this thing.
02:05Right, and his words there are kind of similar
02:07to what we heard from Bill Burr last week on his podcast.
02:09It was a mind-blowing experience.
02:12Definitely top three experiences I've ever had.
02:15I couldn't, I honestly, from the bottom of my heart,
02:17I could not have a better time doing shows for you guys,
02:20and it was great to experience that part of the world,
02:23and to be a part of the first comedy festival
02:25over there in Saudi Arabia.
02:27I think it's going to lead to a lot of positive things.
02:30I literally think I'm gonna land, you know,
02:33and everybody's gonna be screaming,
02:35death to America!
02:36And they're gonna have, like, machetes,
02:37and wanna, like, chop my head off.
02:38We end up driving into town.
02:42It's a city, everything, right?
02:47And everybody's just regular.
02:49They're dressed different, but they're regular.
02:52Like, people just shooting the shit,
02:53hey, how you doing, you know, welcome.
02:55We're saying, hey, we know we're happy to be here.
02:57And we're driving around,
02:58and then I'm just, like, going, like,
03:01I thought this place was gonna be, like, really tense.
03:06And I'm thinking, like,
03:08is that a Starbucks?
03:12Next to a Pete's Coffee?
03:15Next to a Burger King?
03:17Next to a McDonald's?
03:18Next to a Pizza Hut?
03:21Next to a Dunkin' Donuts?
03:23Next to a Krispy Kreme?
03:24Next to a Cheesecake Factory?
03:26Next to a KFC?
03:28Next to a Chili's?
03:29They got a f***ing Chili's over here?
03:31Then we go into the mall,
03:32because I want to get my kids something.
03:34It was a Timberland store.
03:36I could have bought Timberlands
03:37like I was in Brooklyn, New York.
03:39Right, and then, in addition to that,
03:40you had Dave Chappelle apparently using his set
03:42to not necessarily defend himself,
03:43but to take shots at free speech in America
03:45compared to speech in Saudi Arabia.
03:47Because according to the New York Times,
03:49he said, quote,
03:49Right now in America,
03:50they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk,
03:52that you'll get canceled.
03:53I don't know if that's true,
03:54but I'm gonna find out.
03:55It's easier to talk here than it is in America.
03:57But that, then, unsurprisingly,
03:59being met with backlash.
04:00Right, because repression of free speech,
04:01it's one of the most heavily talked about
04:03human rights abuses there.
04:04Right, Chappelle apparently gets angry
04:05or is annoyed by like people
04:06having an adverse reaction to his words,
04:08but in that country,
04:09like they've arrested and executed journalists.
04:12People at times protesting you in the States
04:13because they didn't like what you did,
04:14but that attention also got you
04:15an eight-figure Netflix deal.
04:17That's not the same thing.
04:19How many people six feet under right now
04:20would love to have been canceled that way?
04:22But also with that,
04:23apparently that's not where he ended
04:24because according to the Times,
04:25he also spoke about his critical stance on Israel
04:27and then said that he's afraid
04:29of coming back to the US
04:30because, quote,
04:30they're going to do something to me
04:31so that I can't say what I want to say.
04:33But hey, ultimately,
04:34that's where we are with this situation.
04:35And I guess where I want to leave it is,
04:37has any of this actually changed anything for you?
04:39Or like when this blew up,
04:40I've largely predicted
04:41that I think this is going to leave
04:42most of the comedians unaffected.
04:44Their career is going to go on.
04:45This is going to be a blip.
04:46That said,
04:46it's greatly changed my opinion of many of them.
04:49I see them as kind of just
04:50stand for nothing whores.
04:51It's like a reminder
04:52to not put certain people on a pedestal
04:54because life has taught us numerous times
04:56not to do that
04:56and then we just forget.
04:57But yeah, I guess my question is,
04:58does this actually change stuff for you?
05:00Or are you as likely
05:01or less likely to watch
05:02or listen to something
05:03from one of these people
05:04to actually spend your dollars
05:06and go see them in person?
05:07Right, I ask,
05:07because that's really the only thing
05:08that would make 90% of these people
05:10introspective in the least.
