Dave Chappelle jokes it's 'easier to talk' in Saudi Arabia 'than it is in America' at controversi...

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The comedian performed at Riyadh Comedy Festival, an event that has divided the comedy world. Dave Chappelle jokes it's 'easier to talk' in Saudi Arabia 'than i

The comedian performed at Riyadh Comedy Festival, an event that has divided the comedy world.

Dave Chappelle jokes it's 'easier to talk' in Saudi Arabia 'than it is in America' at controversial comedy festival

The comedian performed at Riyadh Comedy Festival, an event that has divided the comedy world.

By Jessica Wang

Jessica Wang

Jessica Wang is a staff writer at **. Her work has appeared in Bustle, Nylon, Cosmopolitan, and more.

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October 3, 2025 2:27 p.m. ET

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Dave Chappelle speaks onstage during the Jazz at Lincoln Center Gala in 2025. Credit:

Michael Loccisano/Getty

Dave Chappelle lamented the state of free speech in America during a stand-up set at Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Comedy Festival.

The comedian joked that it was "easier to talk" freely in the Middle Eastern country, known for arbitrarily imprisoning and executing journalists and activists critical of the government, than it is to speak freely in America.

"Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, you'll get canceled," Chappelle said (via *The New York Times*), referencing the far-right activist fatally gunned down during a public speaking event last month. "I don't know if that's true, but I'm gonna find out."**

Dave Chappelle at the premiere of 'Dave Chappelle: Live in Real Life' in 2025.

Arturo Holmes/Getty

"It's easier to talk here than it is in America," the comedian said to cheers and applause while in Riyadh, the country's capital.

Chappelle, who has spoken against "cancel culture" in the past amid ill-received jokes he made about transgender people, ended his headlining set by informing audiences that he feared a return to the United States because "they're going to do something to me so that I can't say what I want to say."**

Riyadh Comedy Festival controversy, explained

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His performance coincided with divisive free speech debates rattling the U.S., most recently bolstered by the suspension — and eventual reinstatement — of Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show following public pressure from conservatives and the Donald Trump-appointed FCC chairman over a monologue about Kirk's assassination.**

A protest during the temporary suspension of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'.

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty

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Kimmel returned to the airwaves last week, delivering a somber monologue after about a week away. "This show is not important," Kimmel said. "What's important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this."

Chappelle was among a group of over 50 comedians from around the globe tapped to perform at the festival overseas, one that has divided the comedy world. Marc Maron, David Cross, and Atsuko Okatsuka are among the actors and comedians who've slammed their peers' — such as Pete Davidson, Kevin Hart, Bill Burr, and Whitney Cummings, to name a few — decision to participate in an event hosted by a country marred by human rights violations.

Okatsuka, who said she was invited to participate but declined, shared details of her offer on social media, which contained content restrictions on what the comedians were not allowed to joke about. "The money is coming straight from the crown prince, who actively executes journalists, ppl with nonlethal drug offenses, bloggers, etc without due process," Okatsuka wrote. "A lot of the 'you can't say anything anymore!' comedians are doing the festival. They had to adhere to censorship rules about the types of jokes they can make."

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