Burr’s Response

Bill Burr responded to criticism surrounding his appearance at Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival, calling much of the online backlash “straight up lies.”

Context

The Riyadh Comedy Festival, which ran from September 26 to October 9, featured approximately 50 high-profile comedians, including Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Louis CK, Pete Davidson, and Aziz Ansari. Human Rights Watch criticized the event as an attempt to deflect attention from Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, while other comedians publicly opposed their colleagues’ participation.

Burr’s Response

Burr expressed frustration on his Monday Morning Podcast, saying he had never been “in the middle of one of these fucking things” and stated that “the level of like, straight up lies, is just, it’s wild.” While answering audience questions about the event on his podcast, he said, “I would love – I have no problem answering any of them. The problem I have is, after I answer them, it all gets clipped. And then once it gets clipped, then the lies start getting told.”