“I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m gonna find out,” said Chappelle, who has faced backlash of his own for anti-trans jokes in recent years.
He later went on, “It’s easier to talk here than it is in America.”
Pete Davidson, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Louis C.K. and Gabriel Iglesias are among other big names who were set to perform.
Human rights advocates and groups have ripped those involved in the fest. Human Rights Watch called the event an attempt to whitewash the Saudi government’s “serious rights abuses.”
At least one comedian who turned down an invite to perform, Atsuko Okatsuka, revealed that her offer outlined “content restrictions” that called on comics not to perform material that would degrade Saudi Arabia, the Saudi royal family and any religion, religious tradition or practice.
“I had to stop a couple times during the show and say, ‘I’ll be honest with you guys, I cannot fucking believe any of you have any idea who I am,’” he recalled.
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“It was just this great exchange of energy. They know their reputation. So they were extra friendly.”
He continued, “The royals loved the show. Everyone was happy. The people that were doing the festival were thrilled.”
