Bill Burr Faces A Fandom Revolt After Deciding That Saudi Billionaires Are Okay, Actually

The same guy who screams “Free Luigi!” every time he goes on a talk show is about to perform at the behest of billionaire tyrants who regularly imprison, torture and murder journalists. Remind us again why Coco Chanel was so controversial?

Tonight marks the beginning of the Riyadh Comedy Festival, a Saudi Arabian state-organized and state-funded event that’s part of the country’s ongoing Saudi Vision 2030 campaign to rebrand Saudi Arabia as an international entertainment destination and launder its reputation for mass murder, torture, slavery and just about every other human rights abuse that a despotic government is capable of committing. Among the absolutely star-studded lineup of American stand-up comedians who will take part in the whitewashing festival is Bill Burr, who, over the last year, fashioned himself as the voice of anti-billionaire anger in America.

Unfortunately, Burr’s convictions apparently aren’t allowed to leave the country, so, when he performs for the pleasure of His Eminence, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he’ll be doing so unencumbered by petty things like “morality” or “integrity.” Meanwhile, Burr’s fans have started to turn on the comic who will treat the orchestrators of Jamal Khashoggi’s brutal abduction and murder to a royal set, giving Burr his own Saudi Vision-style rebrand and naming him “Ol’ Billy Bonesaw."

Right now, if you head over to the Bill Burr subreddit, you will find the front page swamped with posts from furious fans decrying Burr’s decision to participate in the whitewashing of atrocities committed by the ultra-rich after spending the last year ranting about atrocities committed by the ultra-rich. While Burr’s contemporaries like Marc Maron and Shane Gillis have decried the Riyadh Comedy Festival and the Saudi Royal Family, with Gillis rejecting an astronomical offer to co-headline the even, Burr couldn’t resist the cash prize for abandoning his backbone, and his fans may never let him forget it.

In a viral post titled, “24 Hours Left Until Bill Burr Officially Loses All Integrity,” Burr’s angry fans pointed out that, if it weren’t for the real-life horrors committed by the Saudi Arabian government that Burr is now responsible for covering up, this entire chapter in comedy history would be funnier than any bit in Drop Dead Years. “Riyadh Comedy Festival is such a weird combination of words,” one fan pointed out, adding, “Guantanamo Bay bingo night.”

“Pyongyang Potluck Party,” another added.

One more chimed in, “Taliban Girl Scouts Cookie Drive.”

Fans also pointed out that, despite what Burr’s defenders may say, this isn’t just some ordinary gig in a controversial country, but a state-funded propaganda event in which Burr is proudly participating. “Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman will directly be paying Bill Burr,” the original poster explained. “This isn’t a private organization bringing comedians to their country for entertainment. This is a straight payment from the man who murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.”

Other users pointed out that, given how Burr has branded himself recently, his performance in Riyadh is nothing short of a credibility-killer. “Certainly makes me stop giving a shit about his anti-billionaire rhetoric,” one fan lamented. “Clearly just a bit rather than something he actually believes in.”

Burr’s eagerness to launder the reputation of the most bloodthirsty billionaires on the planet is immensely disappointing to the fans who really believed that he was one of the few comedians left willing to speak truth to power, but, worse than that, the Riyadh Comedy Festival is immensely revealing to the very billionaires that Burr claimed to revile. Now that Burr has set a price on his integrity, don’t be surprised when we catch him cashing checks on the corporate retreat circuit — though he’ll have to rewrite his act when he does a six-figure gig for UnitedHealthcare.