Dave Chappelle is under fire after joking about the assassination of Charlie Kirk during his set at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia.
The 52-year-old comedian told the crowd of 6,000 that he had “more free speech here than in the U.S.” before joking that mentioning Charlie Kirk back home could get him “canceled.”
“Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you’ll get canceled,” Chappelle quipped. “I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m gonna find out.”
The crowd reportedly laughed, but the backlash online was immediate and brutal. Critics called the comment “soulless,” accusing Chappelle of mocking the murder of a young father and activist while performing in a country known for strict speech censorship.
‘Not the Same Guy Anymore’
Political consultant Frank Luntz criticized Chappelle’s comments, noting that comedians in Saudi Arabia are contractually barred from making jokes about the royal family or religion. “He said ‘it’s easier to talk here than it is in America’ — at a festival where comedians had to contractually agree not to joke about Saudi leadership or religion,” Luntz posted on X.
Others said Chappelle has lost his moral compass. “Dave Chappelle, who once walked away from millions to keep his integrity, is now performing for blood money,” one critic wrote.
The Saudi Controversy
The Riyadh Comedy Festival, running from September 26 to October 9, features high-profile comedians including Pete Davidson and Kevin Hart.
Human Rights Watch criticized Saudi Arabia for using the festival to cover up the country’s repression of free speech, according to USA Today. The timing is especially sensitive. The shows coincide with both the seventh anniversary of journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder and a lawsuit against the Saudi government for alleged ties to 9/11.
Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi royal family, was brutally killed and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
‘Blood Money’ and Backlash
Comedians themselves are divided. Shane Gillis revealed he turned down a lucrative offer to perform, saying, “You don’t 9/11 your friends.”
David Cross called it “the definition of blood money,” while Nimesh Patel backed out days before flying out, saying he had a “change of heart.”
Meanwhile, Pete Davidson, whose firefighter father died on 9/11, admitted the offer was too big to refuse. “I saw the number and I go, ‘I’ll go,’” he said on a podcast.
The Aftermath
For many, Chappelle’s joke about Charlie Kirk, the slain Turning Point USA founder, crossed a moral line.
“This isn’t edgy, it’s empty,” one fan commented. “There’s nothing funny about making light of murder — especially while praising a regime that kills journalists.”
Despite mounting criticism, Chappelle has not yet responded publicly, leaving fans and fellow comedians debating whether this time, he’s gone too far.
