The Comics at Riyadh Fest Are Surprisingly Silent on Social Media

There’s been no shortage of criticism for the sellouts who decided a fat paycheck was worth performing comedy for the journalist-murdering, women’s rights-suppressing, activist-jailing Saudi regime. Even Pete Davidson was somehow able to overlook the “9/11” of it all in order to cash in on the sweet, sweet blood money. 

Bill Burr, who rails against all the billionaires except the ones who want to pay him lavishly, even remarked on his podcast that performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival was one of the “top three experiences” he’s ever had. That’s a pretty bold statement, considering he has two children and a wife — so Bill, which one gets edged out of the top three? Marrying your wife, the birth of your son, or the birth of your daughter? 

But on social media, there hasn’t been much #VisitSaudi propaganda. It’s odd, considering that I expected that posting about the delights of Riyadh on Instagram was part of that contract the decidedly unprincipled cabal of comics had to sign. Yet, Burr’s Instagram is bare of any posts there. Neither are there grid posts from Jo Koy, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Whitney Cummings, Hannibal Buress, Chris Distefano, Kevin Hart, Bobby Lee or Sam Morril detailing their time in Saudi Arabia. 

The grid posts and TikToks could be coming soon, or maybe, most of these comedians will have enough shame to pretend like it never happened. The only comedian who has posted exuberantly from Riyadh is Chris Tucker. His Instagram Stories look like a BTS at Disney World, not in a place where they jail and execute journalists. 

For everyone else, not posting isn’t shielding them from their fans’ criticism. In the comment sections of recent posts (not geotagged at the Riyadh festival), there are plenty of fan asks not to perform in Saudi Arabia — except Andrew Schulz’s fans, who are saying, “I love that within this whole controversy, literally NO ONE is surprised that Schulz took the check lol.”

Again, maybe the ultra glossy grid posts are coming, showcasing everything that a rich and oppressive regime can really do for Western tourists. Or perhaps all the comedians will skip the fawning photos on IG and just go straight to their podcasts to gush, like Burr. “It was just this great exchange of energy,” Burr claimed. “They know their reputation. So they were extra friendly.”

Oh, I’m sure.