During a recent episode of Stavvy’s World, comedian Stavros Halkias and actor-comedian Kumail Nanjiani discussed the controversial Saudi Arabian comedy festival that left several performers stranded.
Nanjiani, who was promoting his Hulu special ‘An American Story,’ called it “the funniest news story of the last 10 years.”
Halkias agreed, explaining why he declined the opportunity to perform at the event. “I obviously wouldn’t have done it. I got offered it. I didn’t want to do it. I think we shouldn’t support a regime. It’s a monarchy that has so many human rights violations that it’s like I wouldn’t have done it, but whatever,” he stated.
However, both comedians found humor in the situation and the timing of the backlash. “It is funny because Kamala wins, no one gives a damn about this. Everyone is cashing their checks,” Halkias observed, referring to how the controversy would have been overshadowed by different political circumstances.
Halkias added perspective on the entertainment industry’s selective outrage. “So many of these are the same people like I bet you Gabriel Iglesias is doing a private for like… He’s signing b*mbs for Northrop Grumman and s**t like that. Like they probably named a b*mb ‘Fluffy’ or something in the past. He’s probably gotten like two million dollars to do stand up.”
Halkias added that many performers regularly accept payment from questionable sources. “All these guys are used to cashing huge checks from people and they’re like, ‘Now I have to. Now I’m getting in trouble.'”
Nanjiani proposed a more honest approach that none of the performers attempted. “To me it’s so funny because not one person was like, ‘Hey, I am taking money away from them. What I’m going to use it for is going to be better than what they will use it for.’ Why did nobody come up with that?”
Halkias explained that there were failed attempts by some comedians to donate their fees after the backlash began. “They tried but it was too late. They tried after they got caught and then I think they were like human rights groups were like we don’t want blood money,” he explained, laughing at the irony.
Nanjiani stated, “To me that’s the funniest when people tried to donate they were like we don’t want it. I know there’s nothing you can do.”
The two also discussed the double standards in the entertainment industry regarding which financial relationships draw public criticism and which remain acceptable, with both comedians suggesting that performers regularly work with morally questionable entities without facing similar consequences.
