A recently surfaced account from the Riyadh Comedy Festival has revealed an uncomfortable detail that organizers likely hoped would stay behind closed doors. According to sources, several prominent American comedians, including Russell Peters and Pete Davidson, encountered one of Osama bin Laden’s brothers at the controversial Saudi Arabian event.
Comedian Big Jay, who served as an opener at the festival, recently revealed the meeting occurred when Russell Peters walked into a backstage area and immediately began conversing with a tall, well-dressed man.
Within minutes, Jay realized he was speaking with ‘Bill bin Laden,’ one of the numerous siblings in the wealthy Saudi family. The Bin Laden family, despite the infamy of one member, remains Saudi royalty with deep ties to the kingdom’s elite.
The encounter became particularly striking given Pete Davidson’s presence at the festival. Davidson’s father was a firefighter who died responding to the September 11 attacks orchestrated by Osama bin Laden.
According to the account, bin Laden’s brother was scheduled to attend the second day of performances when both Peters and Davidson were appearing, creating a scenario where the comedian whose father died in the attacks could have crossed paths with the terrorist’s brother in the green room area.
Jay described feeling “weirded out” after shaking hands with bin Laden’s brother, noting, “I mean, I’m American.” He recalled that Peters appeared comfortable with the interaction, even spending approximately twenty minutes talking with him in his green room during the festival’s final day. The relationship apparently extends beyond this single event, with Peters having documented his friendship with a bin Laden family member dating back to at least 2017.
The revelation adds controversy to the already contentious Riyadh Comedy Festival, which drew criticism when numerous high-profile American comedians agreed to perform in Saudi Arabia despite the kingdom’s human rights record.
Many comedians defended their participation by claiming they were “performing for the masses,” yet this backstage encounter suggests a cozier relationship with Saudi elite than publicly acknowledged.
The comedians involved have not publicly addressed these specific claims.
