US comedian Jessica Kirson says she regrets taking part in the inaugural Riyadh Comedy Festival and will donate her fee from the show to a human rights organisation.
The comedian is gay, and speaks about her sexuality as part of her comedy routines. So eyebrows were raised when she agreed to take part in a high paying comedy festival in Saudi Arabia, a country whose regime stands against LGBTIQA+ rights and has been labelled oppressive to women, queer people and journalistic freedom.
Some comedian who were approached to appear at the festival have publicly shared that the contracts had a long list of requirements for comedian to adhere to when it came to the type of material performed. The festival began on September 26th and runs through until 9th October.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter Kirson said she now regretted agreeing to perform, but tells the publication that she had requested permission to include her LGBT themed material.
“I hoped that this could help LGBTQ+ people in Saudi Arabia feel seen and valued. I am grateful that I was able to do precisely that — to my knowledge, I am the first openly gay comic to talk about it on stage in Saudi Arabia.” Kirson said.
“I received messages from attendees sharing how much it meant to them to participate in a gay-affirming event. At the same time, I deeply regret participating under the auspices of the Saudi government.”
Kirson said she now realised that she had disappointed her fans by taking part in the event.
The festival, dubbed the world’s biggest comedy festival, has allegedly offered huge paychecks to comedians to be part of the event. Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, Louis C.K., Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson, Aziz Ansari, Jo Koy, Wayne Brady, Chris Tucker and many others signed up, including Australian identity Jimeoin.
Should comedians stay out of Saudi Arabia?
The question of the ethical dilemma comedian face when booked for shows in Saudi Arabia was discussed recently on the popular podcast The Rest is Entertainment hosted by journalist Marina Hyde and author Richard Osman.
Hyde said the organisers had created an unbelievable bill of top entertainers, but she always felt uncomfortable when comedian work for governments.
“I think that the money being paid, and the potential audience size there is over there, you have to accept that you are not being paid for punters coming through the door.” Osman said. “You are being paid by the Saudi government.”
“You’re there to do P.R. for the Saudi government.” Osman said, adding that he didn’t make any judgement on those participating, but it was clear was the purpose of the festival was.
