Some of the world’s best-known comedians -- including American performers Dave Chappelle, Pete Davidson, Louis C.K., and Bill Burr -- have been dubbed “sellouts” for taking part in a Saudi state-sponsored comedy festival in the wake of another journalist’s killing, and a reported rise in executions for non-lethal and drug-related crimes, along with long prison sentences imposed for social media posts.

The Riyadh Comedy Festival, hosted by Saudi Arabia’s government, is a new, lucrative gig for big-name comedians as the country expands its entertainment sector as part of “Saudi Vision 2030.” The initiative, brainchild of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also includes the highly-controversial LIV Golf tournament and investments in the tech, gaming, and venture capital sectors.

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[–] 23 points 1 year ago* (5 children)

I went to check who else was going, and was disappointed to see Jimeoin, Gabriel Iglesias and Hannibal Buress there.

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  • [–] 49 points 1 year ago* (4 children)

    Unfortunately Hannibal kinda sucks.

    Buress owns a building in Chicago; in 2017, he removed residential tenants in order to convert the property into Airbnb short-term rental units. In October 2019, he posted a tweet against Bernie Sanders's call for rent control and asked for donations to an Illinois landlords association, leading to Twitter users criticizing him with the phrase "Hannibal Buress is a landlord". Buress later stated that he regretted his now-deleted tweets, which he claimed were jokes meant to stir up controversy. He attributed the criticism he received to fallout over comments he made on Sanders's age. Buress also said a housing charity had refused his $4,000 donation due to his perceived landlord advocacy.

    So him not caring who is paying him, long as he is getting paid, sorta tracks. :/

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  • [–] 18 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    Well that's a shame. I quite liked his stand-up. Into the bin with him.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    It's always a shame finding out funny people suck.

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