From September 26 to October 9, 2025, Saudi Arabia is hosting its inaugural Riyadh Comedy Festival as part of Vision 2030’s entertainment push. High-profile American comedians, including Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, and Bill Burr, among others, were invited to perform for payments reportedly ranging from $300,000 to $1.6 million.
However, the conditions for their skits are strict: No criticizing the Saudi government, the royal family, the Islamic faith, or local culture.
Given Saudi Arabia’s suppression of free speech, imprisonment of dissidents and activists, and restrictions on women's rights, the agreement of so many American comedians to perform, especially under such rigid speech restrictions, has sparked widespread controversy.
Glenn Beck is certainly perplexed. If the Trump admin