Aziz Ansari has responded to criticism over his recent appearance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival after Jimmy Kimmel confronted him about performing in Saudi Arabia.
During an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday, Kimmel asked Ansari why he chose to participate in the festival, noting the country’s human rights record.
“People are questioning why you would go over there and take their money to perform in front of these people,” Kimmel said, referencing the Saudi regime’s “horrible” actions, including the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Ansari said he considered the decision carefully, explaining, “I have an aunt that lived there for a while, and she said there are people over there that don’t agree with what the government’s doing. To ascribe the worst behavior of the government onto those people, that’s not fair.”
He added that his goal was to perform for ordinary citizens, not to endorse the government. “Whenever there’s repressive societies like this, they try to keep things out, whether it’s rock music or blue jeans, because it makes people curious about outside ideas,” Ansari said.
“This is a very young country, half under 25, and things can really change.”
The comedian also revealed that he plans to donate part of his performance fee to organizations supporting free press and human rights, including Reporters Without Borders and Human Rights Watch. “It’s a complicated issue,” he said.
“But I felt like it was pushing things in the right direction.”
Other comedians at the festival included Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson, and Whitney Cummings, several of whom have also defended their decision to perform in Saudi Arabia.
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