{"id":4753,"date":"2026-07-23T14:40:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T14:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4753"},"modified":"2026-07-23T14:40:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T14:40:06","slug":"weird-al-yankovic-turned-down-million-dollar-offer-to-perform-in-saudi-arabia-i-dont-need-to-take-any-money-if-it-makes-me-feel-icky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4753","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Weird Al\u2019 Yankovic Turned Down Million-Dollar Offer to Perform in Saudi Arabia: \u2018I Don\u2019t Need to Take Any Money if It Makes Me Feel Icky\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tAfter \u201cWeird Al\u201d Yankovic made headlines this month for backing out of an ad for AI software, the musical satirist revealed he also turned down an offer worth at least $1 million to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia last year.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Burlesque the Musical\u2019 London Opening Postponed to 2027, U.K. Tour Pushed Back (EXCLUSIVE)<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI wish people would offer me things that I didn\u2019t feel bad about accepting,\u201d Yankovic told the Pennsylvania publication TribLive. \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve mentioned this anywhere, but I was invited to the Riyadh Comedy Festival, which is something that I obviously did not want to do. They offered me, I\u2019m not going to say how much, but it was seven figures to do one show, which is way more than I\u2019ve ever been offered in my life to do a show. But I just couldn\u2019t be part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe controversial, state-sponsored comedy festival took place last fall and featured big-name American comics including Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, Louis C.K., Pete Davidson and Aziz Ansari.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m not dissing anybody that took the money because I\u2019m sure everybody that went there got a lot of money,\u201d Yankovic added. \u201cI\u2019m sure they had their own reasons and justifications for doing it. But I\u2019m doing enough that I don\u2019t need to take any amount of money if it makes me feel icky, and that kind of did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Riyadh Comedy Festival was a hot-button topic that split the industry. Some comics, like Marc Maron, Jimmy Kimmel and David Cross criticized the event due to its connection with the Islamic regime led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. For many, it was too difficult to accept a paycheck from the government that, among other atrocities, sanctioned the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. <\/p>\n

Read more BritBox\u2019s \u2018Gone\u2019 Is a Masterfully Tense Crime Drama: TV Review<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tComic Atsuko Okatsuka revealed on X that she turned down an offer, which included \u201ccontent restrictions\u201d prohibiting comedians from joking about the Saudi government, legal system or religious customs. \u201cThe money is coming straight from the Crown Prince, who actively executes journalists, [people with non-lethal] drug offenses, bloggers, etc w\/out due process,\u201d Okatsuka wrote on social media.<\/p>\n

\n\tShane Gillis similarly said he took a \u201cprincipled stand\u201d and turned down a \u201csignificant bag\u201d to perform. (Sources told\u00a0Variety<\/em>\u00a0at the time that comedian paydays ranged from mid-six-figures up to $1.6 million for one show.)<\/p>\n

\n\tMany comedians who did accept money to perform in Saudi Arabia defended their decision. \u201cThere\u2019s people over there that don\u2019t agree with the stuff that the government\u2019s doing, and to ascribe like the worst behavior of the government onto those people, that\u2019s not fair,\u201d Ansari said, adding that he hoped the festival would push \u201cthings to be more open.\u201d Burr called it\u00a0\u201cone of the top three experiences I\u2019ve had,\u201d saying \u201cthe royals loved the show.\u201d\u00a0C.K. said it was a \u201cgood opportunity\u201d\u00a0and \u201ccomedy is a great way to get in and start talking.\u201d\u00a0Chappelle quipped\u00a0onstage in Saudi Arabia that \u201cIt\u2019s easier to talk here than it is in America.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Prime Video Launches Games With Luna App Integration; \u2018Tomb Raider,\u2019 James Bond Titles Won\u2019t Be in the Mix<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s unclear whether Riyadh Comedy Festival will return in 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘Weird Al’ Yankovic revealed he turned down a seven-figure offer to perform at the state-sponsored Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[3799,2824],"class_list":["post-4753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tv","tag-riyadh-comedy-festival","tag-weird-al-yankovic"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Weird Al\u2019 Yankovic Turned Down Million-Dollar Offer to Perform in Saudi Arabia: \u2018I Don\u2019t Need to Take Any Money if It Makes Me Feel Icky\u2019 - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4753\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Weird Al\u2019 Yankovic Turned Down Million-Dollar Offer to Perform in Saudi Arabia: \u2018I Don\u2019t Need to Take Any Money if It Makes Me Feel Icky\u2019 - 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