Atsuko Okatsuka is shedding light on some of the intricate details surrounding the offer she received to perform at Saudi Arabia's ongoing Riyadh Comedy Festival. The comedian took to Threads, sharing a screenshot of what she claims was the offer extended to her for a festival appearance. In her post, Okatsuka highlighted that accepting this potential gig came with a set of "censorship rules" that many of the "you can't say anything anymore!" comedians had seemingly agreed to abide by.
"The money is flowing directly from the Crown Prince, who is notorious for actively executing journalists, individuals with non-lethal drug offenses, bloggers, and others without due process," she wrote. "A slew of the 'you can't say anything anymore!' Comedians are partaking in the festival... and they've had to toe the line on censorship rules regarding the kinds of jokes they're allowed to make."
The Riyadh Fest got underway on Friday and is set to conclude on October 9. The lineup of comedians scheduled to appear is a star-studded one, featuring Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Bill Burr, Russell Peters, Gabriel Iglesias, Pete Davidson, and several others.
Okatsuka also shared a screenshot of the "Content Restrictions" outlined in her alleged offer, which stated, "ARTIST shall refrain from preparing or performing any material that may be deemed to degrade, defame, or cast into public disrepute, contempt, scandal, embarrassment, or ridicule A) The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including its leadership, public figures, culture, or people; B) The Saudi royal family, legal system, or government; and C) Any religion, religious tradition, religious figure, or religious practice."
Fellow comedian Marc Maron recently unleashed a scathing critique on those opting to participate in the Riyadh Comedy Festival. During a video posted from one of his shows, the WTF podcast host touched upon the alleged involvement of Saudi officials in the 9/11 attacks and the 2018 assassination of Jamal Khashoggi.
"I mean, how do you even market that? You know, like, 'From the folks that brought you 9/11. Two weeks of laughter in the desert, don't miss it!'" Maron quipped. "I mean, the same guy who's footing the bill for them is the same one who reportedly paid to have Jamal Khashoggi bone-sawed and stuffed into a goddamn suitcase. But hey, don't let that dampen the spirits, it's gonna be a riot!"
