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Dave Chappelle has claimed that free speech is under threat in the United States while on stage at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia.
The stand-up comedian, 52, had been strongly criticized by fellow comics for agreeing to perform in the country.
According to The New York Times, Chappelle appeared in front of an audience of 6,000 and commented: “Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you’ll get canceled. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m gonna find out.”
He added: “It’s easier to talk here than it is in America.”
Chappelle later said that he is concerned about returning to the United States because “they’re going to do something to me so that I can’t say what I want to say.”
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Dave Chappelle at the Lincoln Center Gala in New York in April 2025 (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Jazz At Lincoln Center)
Human Rights Watch has described the Riyadh Comedy Festival as Saudi Arabia’s latest attempt to “deflect attention from its brutal repression of free speech and other pervasive human rights violations.”
The festival, held in the capital of Saudi Arabia from September 26 to October 9, features more than 50 prominent comedians, including Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Louis C.K., and Bill Burr.
Many of the headliners, which also include British comedians Jimmy Carr, Omid Djalili and Jack Whitehall, have been dubbed “sellouts” for taking part in the Saudi state-sponsored event in the wake of journalist Turki al-Jasser’s death, and a reported rise in executions for non-lethal and drug-related crimes, along with long prison sentences imposed for social media posts.
In June, the Saudi regime executed journalist al-Jasser for “high treason.” He was imprisoned in 2018 and sentenced to death on charges of terrorism and high treason. The accusations stemmed from writings he authored on a blog and a newspaper.
Comedian David Cross, who said he was not asked to perform at the festival, wrote in a statement shared on Instagram: “I am disgusted, and deeply disappointed in this whole gross thing.
“That people I admire, with unarguable talent, would condone this totalitarian fiefdom for…what, a fourth house? A boat? More sneakers?”
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David Cross said he was ‘disgusted’ by fellow comedians who had chosen to take part in the state-funded festival (Getty)
Cross went on to call out specific names from the lineup, including comedy giants Chappelle, C.K. and Burr.
“Clearly you guys don’t give a s*** about what the rest of us think, but how can any of us take any of you seriously ever again?” Cross said.
“All of your b****ing about ‘cancel culture’ and ‘freedom of speech’ and all that s***? Done. You don’t get to talk about it ever again. By now we’ve all seen the contract you had to sign.”
The contract comedians were required to sign, which has been widely circulated, included stipulations that they not make fun of religions or the Saudi royal family.
Earlier this year, a video of Chappelle mocking President Donald Trump’s tariff plans went viral on social media.
