Bill Burr is lashing out at critics for slamming his appearance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival. During an interview on the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast, Burr said he does not “give a fuck what all these phony fucking people are saying.”
“The general consensus is, ‘How dare you go to that place and make those oppressed people laugh, you fucking piece of shit. I can’t believe you went to that place. I can’t find it on a map, and this bot said I was upset about it so now I am,’” Burr said about the outrage over the festival. “It’s one thing to wear clothes made by sweatshop labor. It’s quite another to go to the factory and make ’em laugh. I can’t believe how much anger I had about this issue after it went viral.”
Bill was one of many high-profile comedians who traveled to Saudi Arabia for the comedy festival, which took place Sept. 26 to Oct. 9. Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson, Whitney Cummings, Andrew Schulz and more also performed during the event.
Burr told O’Brien during the podcast interview that he had “no fucking idea” the festival would lead to an explosive controversy online. The talent who performed at the Riyadh Comedy Festival were widely criticized on social media by the likes of Marc Maron, David Cross, Zach Woods and other comedians. Cross specifically called out Burr in his response condemning the festival, adding: “I am disgusted, and deeply disappointed in this whole gross thing.”
“I don’t give a fuck what all these phony fucking people are saying,” Burr said on the podcast, later adding: “I really don’t give a fuck Conan. And if it affects my career, I’ve been to LAX enough in my life, I’ll fucking sit home for a little bit. I will actually tell you LAX is slightly sadder than Saudi Arabia.”
“I’ve been going through this bullshit the whole week,” Burr added about the backlash while doubling down on his stance that it was an overall positive experience.
“It was necessary. It felt right afterward,” Burr said. “I vibed with them and they were funny. Fuck, they were funny fucking people. I don’t know what to tell you. I had a good time. … I love doing the podcast, man, and I appreciate you having me on, especially during all of this bullshit. You are a real friend, dude.”
Love Film & TV?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in music, film and TV in Australia and abroad.
Burr first commented on the backlash on an episode of his own podcast, calling the experience of performing in Saudi Arabia “mind-blowing” and adding: “The royals loved the show. Everyone was happy. The people that were doing the festival were thrilled.” Burr called the festival “one of the top three experiences I’ve had.”
From Variety US