Renowned musician and comedian, “Weird Al” Yankovic, has disclosed rejecting a lucrative offer to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, citing discomfort with accepting the payment.
In a discussion with Pennsylvania’s Tribune-Review, Yankovic shared that the proposal involved a seven-figure amount—an offer significantly larger than he had received before for a single show.
I was invited to the Riyadh Comedy Festival, which is something that I obviously did not want to do,” Yankovic reportedly stated. “They offered me, I’m not going to say how much, but it was seven figures to do one show, which is way more than I’ve ever been offered in my life to do a show.
Despite the substantial sum, Yankovic conveyed that he refused due to ethical concerns. He emphasized that while he avoided criticizing performers who accepted the invitation, he personally could not reconcile with participating.
Yankovic noted, But I just couldn’t be part of that. I’m not dissing anybody that took the money because I’m sure everybody that went there got a lot of money. I’m sure they had their own reasons and justifications for doing it. But I’m doing enough that I don’t need to take any amount of money if it makes me feel icky, and that kind of did.
This is not the first instance of the comedian turning down an offer on ethical grounds. He reportedly refused a substantial offer for an advertisement involving artificial intelligence, expressing discomfort with the nature of the opportunity.
The Riyadh Comedy Festival garnered criticism from various sections of the comedy community. Fox News Digital reported that several prominent comedians criticized those who performed at the event.
For example, talk show host Bill Maher addressed the controversy, mentioning comedian Dave Chappelle’s participation. He suggested testing free speech by performing content specifically relevant to Saudi cultural sensitivities.
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel also commented on the topic. He questioned comedian Aziz Ansari about his participation, referring to the controversial murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Ansari defended his performance by speaking about the role of the arts in facilitating openness and dialogue within the youthful Saudi population.
Despite varied opinions on the festival, Yankovic remains firm in his stance against performing in circumstances that violate his personal ethics.