Tim Dillon Claims Jokes Led to His Exclusion from Riyadh Comedy Festival

According to American comedian Tim Dillon, he was removed from the lineup of the Riyadh Comedy Festival due to his comedic remarks about alleged forced labor in Saudi Arabia.

The festival, touted as potentially the largest comedy gathering globally, was scheduled to take place in Riyadh, with prominent comedians such as Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, and Kevin Hart also on the list of performers.

In a podcast episode released on September 20, Dillon mentioned that his exclusion was reportedly due to his comments on a prior podcast episode criticizing alleged forced labor practices.

Dillon recounted a conversation with his manager, who said, "They weren't pleased with the jokes about them employing slaves," which led to him being fired from the event.

He stated, "I approached it humorously, which resulted in them firing me. I had no intention of arriving in their country and criticizing those who would have been providing my paycheck."

The jokes in question were from an earlier podcast episode aired on August 30, where Dillon humorously discussed the reported sum of $375,000 he was to receive for his participation at the festival and related it to allegations of slavery.

CBS News has not independently confirmed this payment figure, and attempts to get comments from Dillon's representatives regarding his contract or removal from the Saudi state-organized event have gone unanswered.

Efforts to get comments from representatives of Bill Burr, Mark Normand, Kevin Hart, and other comedians slated to perform have also not yielded responses.

The festival is among several major cultural gatherings in Saudi Arabia, which critics argue are strategically planned to divert global focus from the nation's human rights issues.

Notably, in 2021, the kingdom launched LIV Golf, enticing top golf professionals from the PGA Tour with lucrative deals—an initiative some view as part of this broader diversion strategy.

Joey Shea, a member of Human Rights Watch based in the U.S., suggested the festival is an attempt to obscure Saudi Arabia's ongoing human rights violations. He urged Western performers to spotlight these issues instead of aiding in masking the regime's actions.

Requests for comments from Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding these accusations have yet to receive a response.