Whitney Cummings defended performing in Saudi Arabia on the government-backed Riyadh Comedy Competition this month, saying Monday that critics of the competition are “simply racist.”
“It’s simply racism,” she mentioned of the blowback. “I feel it took me a second, as a result of when individuals are going like, ‘You’re doing one thing unethical,’ I’m like, ‘Oh, these should be moral individuals, let me hear.’ And you then’re like, ‘Oh no, you’re simply racist.’”
The comic broke her silence on her “Good for You” podcast Monday, acknowledging that the comedy competition — which attracted different A-list acts like Dave Chappelle, Invoice Burr, Louis C.Okay. and Kevin Hart — has been the topic of plenty of backlash, with organizations just like the Human Rights Watch and comedians like David Cross and Marc Maron denouncing the occasion as a consequence of its ties to the Saudi crown.
Cummings spoke out in assist of the comics who took half within the Saudi Arabian occasion. She mentioned that she sees a distinction between an oppressive authorities and the individuals it governs.
“I assume I’m this weirdo,” Cummings mentioned. “I don’t function beneath, you already know, the concept that each authorities and their individuals are the identical … So that you additionally consider that the Chinese language authorities and the Chinese language individuals are precisely the identical?”
The comic went on, stating the hypocrisy of comedians who got here out so against the competition. She urged her viewers to look into Dwell Nation – the place she says each well-known comic has labored by prior to now – to get a style of a few of that hypocrisy.
Cummings added: “While you get a sec, google ‘Saudi Arabia Dwell Nation’ so that you may be knowledgeable on the truth that anybody who has labored with Dwell Nation, each stand-up comedian, has taken Saudi cash,” she mentioned. “Or purchased a ticket by Dwell Nation, went to a Dwell Nation occasion, all of the actors who’re represented by William Morris Company, which is all of them. If you wish to ship them notes too.”
Not all performers have defended participating within the competition. Jessica Kirson – who carried out on the fest – donated her full efficiency price to the Human Rights Marketing campaign following the backlash. However extra prominently, Burr, C.Okay. and Aziz Ansari have doubled down together with Cummings on their participation.
Burr and Ansari argued it was higher to interact with the individuals of Riyadh moderately than isolate them.
“For me, particularly being me and searching the way in which I do, and being from a Muslim background, it felt like one thing I needs to be part of,” Asari mentioned final week on “Jimmy Kimmel Dwell!” “And I hope it pushes issues in a constructive course.”
