Comedian and podcaster Andrew Schulz delivered a fiery response to criticism surrounding comedians performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia. On a recent episode of the FLAGRANT podcast, Schulz didn’t hold back. He took particular aim at veteran comedian Marc Maron and others who questioned the decision to perform in the Middle Eastern nation.
Schulz opened the conversation by addressing the backlash head-on, making it clear that he and his team have no regrets about performing for their fans in Saudi Arabia. “I will go perform for my fans wherever they are on the whole planet,” he declared. “People don’t decide where they’re born, you idiots.”
The controversy centers around comedians accepting invitations to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, with critics suggesting performers were compromising their values by appearing in a country with a controversial human rights record. However, Schulz pushed back against this narrative, pointing out what he sees as hypocrisy among his detractors.
“I see all these people doing mental gymnastics because they’re trying to justify,” Schulz said. “You don’t have to justify s**t. Do you have fans there? Go perform for them.” He emphasized that fans in these countries didn’t choose their governments or the rules they live under, and shouldn’t be punished for circumstances beyond their control.
Schulz specifically called out Marc Maron and other “liberal white comics” who criticized the performances. He noted the irony of comedians who claim to speak truth to power remaining silent when it doesn’t serve their interests.
“Where are those minorities you care so much about?” he asked, referencing the demographics of some critics’ audiences. “Go to a Marc Maron show. Count the minorities.”
The controversy became more pointed when Schulz referenced Maron’s past behavior, including an alleged incident with Jon Stewart and Maron’s own history of hosting President Obama on his podcast.
“Mark Maron acting like he didn’t also have a president on his podcast,” Schulz noted, suggesting that Maron’s criticism was hypocritical given his own political involvement.
One of Schulz’s main arguments centered on the idea that comedians have been “imprisoned by their own audience.” He suggested that many performers who built their careers through independent content creation now find themselves censored by fear of their own fanbase. “There is nothing worse than being an independent content creator and then being imprisoned by your own audience,” he said.
Schulz also defended the performances themselves, revealing that he performed material that was arguably edgier in Saudi Arabia than what he’s been doing on his current American tour. “My set in Saudi was harder than any set I’ve been doing in America at this tour,” he claimed, dismissing concerns about censorship or restrictions on content.
The comedian made a direct challenge to Maron: “Mark Maron, come on this pod. Let me chop you up.”
Throughout the episode, Schulz maintained that the real issue isn’t about the specific country but about loyalty and consistency. He criticized comedians who previously benefited from platforms like Joe Rogan’s podcast but have since distanced themselves when it became politically convenient.
“You used him for his followers and now you see a situation where they’re getting backlash and instead you pile on for self-salvation,” he said.
