Dave Chappelle went after Bill Maher in his new Netflix special, “The Unstoppable,” for criticizing his appearance at Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival.
“Recently in the news, I’ve been getting a lot of grief, again, because I did a comedy festival in Saudi Arabia,” Chappelle said to applause. “And you hear those cheers? That’s Black people. America’s whites, they’re furious. Boy, I gotta tell you something. I’ve never not felt guilty about something. I don’t feel guilty at all. And Bill Maher, the famous comedian, I’ve known Bill since I was like, 18, 19 years old, and I’ve never said this publicly, but fuck that guy. I’m so fucking tired of his little smug, cracker-ass commentary.”
Maher was largely positive about the Riyadh Festival, calling the participating comedians “brave” for breaking ground in a nation that hasn’t always been welcoming for stand-up. However, Maher did take issue with Chappelle saying it’s “easier to talk” in Saudi Arabia than in America.
“It’s not true,” Maher said of Chappelle’s comment during an episode of “Real Time.” “Do your hunk on Mohammed, Dave.”
In the special, which premiered Dec. 19, Chappelle addressed the controversial claim.
“I didn’t tell them to put this in the paper. I just said it on stage. I said, ‘It’s easier to talk in Saudi Arabia for me than it is in America,’” he said. “Oh, I stand ten toes on that. Don’t forget what I just went through. Two years ago, I almost got canceled right here in the United States for transgender jokes. But I gotta tell you something. Transgender jokes went over very well in Saudi Arabia.”
In addition to Chappelle, Riyadh’s lineup included Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson, Bill Burr, Louis C.K., Whitney Cummings, Aziz Ansari and more.
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Maher was not the only comedian to come after Riyadh. Jimmy Kimmel, David Cross, Marc Maron and Shane Gillis all spoke out against the festival. Participants like Burr and C.K. spoke very favorably about Riyadh in the wake of the backlash. Burr called the event one of the “top three experiences I’ve had.”
From Variety US