What Comedians Are Going to the Riyadh Comedy Festival?

Back in May, head of the Saudi Arabian Entertainment Authority Turki Al-Sheikh announced the country’s plans to host a gigantic international comedy festival featuring the “best 50 stand-up comedians in the world.” By all indications, the festival’s organizers made a sincere attempt to deliver on this lofty promise, assembling a lineup of, if not the best comedians in the world, certainly the most famous. Four months later, the Riyadh Comedy Festival kicks off on Friday, September 26; it will run through October 10. If it seems like superstar comedians, many of whom are vocal defenders of free speech , would attract raised eyebrows for their decision to perform for a government known for political censorship and blatant human-rights abuses — they have. Here’s a quick summary of all