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Comedy fans’ jaws dropped when the Riyadh Comedy Festival announced its lineup of A-list comedians. Several of the industry’s superstars, including Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, and Kevin Hart, participated in the controversial event hosted and organized by Saudi Arabia’s government through its General Entertainment Authority. Americans accused the comedians of profiting from a government known for silencing dissent. The comedians, which also included Aziz Ansari, Pete Davidson, and Whitney Cummings, were forced to defend themselves for accepting “blood money.”

Aziz Ansari appeared on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ to promote his new film

Aziz Ansari joined Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to discuss his new movie, Good Fortune. The Parks and Recreation star directed, wrote, produced, and starred in the film. The cast includes Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer, and Sandra Oh.

Good Fortune follows Arj, a struggling gig worker, whose life is swapped with his rich employer, Jeff (Rogen), by Gabriel (Reeves) in an attempt to teach him that money doesn’t buy happiness. The plan backfires when Arj begins to enjoy his privileged life. Gabriel, who loses his wings, must live among humans and deal with the fallout of his celestial choices. Good Fortune premieres on October 17 in U.S. theaters.

Jimmy Kimmel confronted Aziz Ansari over the Riyadh Comedy Festival

Saudi Arabia has long been criticized for human rights abuses and a lack of free expression. The government bans public protests, with participants facing imprisonment and harsh penalties. Saudi authorities frequently detain and intimidate journalists and researchers who criticize the government. One example involves Jamal Khashoggi. In 2018, the Washington Post journalist was murdered inside Istanbul’s Saudi consulate after criticizing the government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Recently, Jimmy Kimmel faced his own free-speech controversy when ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! for six days following his monologue about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Naturally, the host was ready to discuss the Riyadh Comedy Festival with Ansari, who maintained that he performed there for the right reasons.

Kimmel asked the Master of None actor, “A lot of comedians, especially, are very upset because the people who paid the comedians to come to this are not good people. They are — it’s a pretty brutal regime. They’ve done a lot of horrible, horrible things. So people are questioning why you would go over there and take their money to perform in front of these people.”

Ansari said he put “a lot of thought” into participating. “I have an aunt that lived there for a while. And I talked to her about this. She said, ‘You know, there are people over there that don’t agree with this stuff that the government’s doing. To ascribe the worst behavior of the government onto those people is not fair.’ Just like there are people in America that don’t agree with the things the government is doing.”

Fans didn’t love Ansari’s logic behind doing the Riyadh Comedy Festival

Kimmel pushed back, “But they murdered a journalist. I mean, these are not good people over there. So, did you deal with those people specifically?”

Ansari replied, “No. I was just there to do a show for the people.” He explained that his wife, forensic data scientist Serena Skov Campbell, encouraged him to go. She compared his performance to other things that the Saudi government frowns upon, like rock and roll and blue jeans. “[These things make] people curious about outside ideas, outside values. And this is a very young country. Half the country is under the age of 25, and things could really change.”

Ansari said he had to choose between isolating and engaging with Saudi Arabians. “For me, especially being me and looking the way I do and being from a Muslim background, it felt like something I should be a part of. And I hope it pushes things in a positive direction,” he stated. The 42-year-old said he donated part of his festival payment to Reporters Without Borders and Human Rights Watch.

Ansari’s visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live! appeared on Reddit, and fans weren’t happy. Over 7,000 users upvoted a comment that read, “The problem isn’t that he performed in Saudi Arabia, the problem is that he accepted money from a bloody regime. This was a state-sponsored show with the goal of distracting from the country’s atrocities, not some free-enterprise, politically-unaffiliated festival.”

Another stated that Ansari “wasn’t allowed to criticize or joke about the Saudi govt per his comedy fest contract. That he willingly signed.” The commenter continued, “He’s not helping anyone over there. He’s whitewashing a regime for cash and doing it dishonestly to boot.”

Ansari’s defenders claim his comedy can bridge cultures and spark dialogue. Regardless, over 3,000 Redditors agreed with one user’s statement: “Who knew I’d agree with Jimmy Kimmel so much this year??”

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