Shane Gillis Claims He Turned Down ‘A Significant Bag’ By Saying No to the Riyadh Comedy Festival

Not even a “significant bag” could convince Shane Gillis to take the stage at Saudi Arabia’s upcoming Riyadh Comedy Festival. 

In a new Patreon-exclusive clip from his Secret Podcast, Gillis says he declined to perform at the controversial event, even after the event’s hosts offered to double his initial pay rate. “It was a significant bag, but I had already said no,” he recalled. 

“I took a principled stand,” Gillis continued, citing the allegations that Saudi Arabia aided al-Qaeda in the September 11th attacks. “You don’t do 9/11 to your friends.” 

The Tires star is one of several comedians to publicly denounce the Riyadh Comedy Festival, an event that human rights advocates have warned is an act of “comedywashing” intended to distract from Saudi Arabia’s record of mass executions, alleged use of torture in prisons and violence against journalists. 

 During a recent stand-up set, Marc Maron also shared his thoughts about the festival, and questioned how the event’s organizers could possibly begin to promote the event. ‘‘From the folks that brought you 9/11. Two weeks of laughter in the desert, don’t miss it!'” the WTF podcast host joked in a clip captioned “selling out in Riyadh.” 

We’re not surprised to hear Maron speak out against the event, but it’s refreshing to see Gillis take a stand. He should keep this same energy when it comes to denouncing racism and homophobia, too.