American comedian Tim Dillon has confirmed he was removed from the Riyadh Comedy Festival after comments he made about Saudi Arabia during a podcast appearance.
Speaking on Joe Rogan’s show on August 30, Dillon claimed that the country depends heavily on foreign workers, referring to them as slave labour.
In the same discussion, Dillon questioned Saudi policies on women, LGBT rights and free speech. He also joked about witnessing punishments such as amputations, and remarked that he would not be concerned if other performers were executed, suggesting his primary concern was financial.
Dillon revealed that he was paid $375,000 to appear at the festival.
On the September 20 episode of his own podcast, Dillon announced that organisers had dismissed him. Quoting his manager, he said, “They heard what you said about them having slaves. They didn’t like that. I addressed it in a funny way, and they fired me.”
Dillon added that he had not intended to insult those who had hired him, but acknowledged that his remarks had caused offence.
He attempted to clarify the controversy by claiming that his comments had been misunderstood. “I was defending them for having slaves. I literally said, ‘Slaves are hard workers and for the most part agreeable. But they didn’t like that.’” He further noted, “Apparently this got to the people in Saudi Arabia and they were unhappy about it.”
The Riyadh Comedy Festival, which runs from September 26 to October 10 at Boulevard City, is scheduled to feature more than 15 internationally recognised comedians.
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