Actor and comedian Zach Woods recently took to TikTok to criticize American comics who agreed to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, an event backed by Saudi Arabia‘s entertainment authority.
Featured VideoIn his video, Woods mixed sharp satire with pointed references to the country’s human rights record, calling out entertainers for lending legitimacy to a regime accused of censorship, repression, and the murder of journalists.
In the clip, Woods opened with, “Guys, it’s that special time of year. It’s the Riyadh Comedy Festival, and all of your favorite comedians are performing at the pleasure of Turki al-Sheikh.”
“And he is the head of the entertainment authority over there, and he has so many people thrown in prison cause they tweeted stuff he didn’t like about the soccer team or whatever, that there’s a wing of a prison nicknamed after him where they hang people by their heels from the ceiling.”
AdvertisementWhat Zach Woods said about the Riyadh Comedy Festival
Throughout the video, Woods layered jokes with facts about the comedians attending the festival. He noted, “Now, there’s a lot of drips, kill joys and dweebazoids who are saying, ‘Oh, they shouldn’t do comedy over there because it’s whitewashing a regime that just in June killed a journalist.”
He listed abuses, citing the killing of Turki al-Jasser and Jamal Khashoggi and the country’s role in 9/11. At the same time, he sarcastically dismissed concerns with, “Shut up! Name one comedian who hasn’t wh*red themselves out to a dictator.”
AdvertisementWoods fabricated extreme examples for comedic effect, like claiming Mr. Bean performed for Idi Amin and that he himself pitched a prank show called The West Bank. He described the concept as “hilarious […] but there’s also a true crime element because it violates international law and people have been killed.”
Moreover, he mocked Human Rights Watch for urging comedians not to participate, saying, “Ugh, what a c*ck block Human Rights Watch is for comedy. Let’s have some fun. Let’s have some yucks. And let’s not look too closely at anything. I’m a hypocrite, too.”
@zachwoodsLouis CK AND the Saudi Royal Family! Who could ask for more?!
♬ original sound – Zach Woods
Social media reacts to Woods’ critique
On TikTok, responses poured in. One user asked, “What’s with the double standard against Saudis? The USA had Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib. Does that mean no comedian should perform in the USA?”
AdvertisementAnother commenter expressed disappointment, writing, “Didnt even know about this festival. Man I cant believe Bill Burr is going, thats sucks. I hope his whole set is just him talking crap about all the bad stuff happening over there.”
Some highlighted broader hypocrisy. As one person noted, “Okay, but as a non-American, a comedy fest in the U.S. hosted by billionaires would be getting the exact same side-eye from me 😂”
Meanwhile, reactions spread to X. User @HELLA_GIRTH posted, “guy from silicon valley i was completely unfamiliar with your game.” Another, @reallygordon, joked, “zach woods i’ll rip out my IUD for you.”
Others praised his candor. @DecadeScrolling wrote, “Zach Woods is so real for this – love a man with integrity. This is why his was the best part of Silicon Valley.” Another user added, “I love that Zach Woods video about that unhinged comedy thing in Riyadh making its rounds all over. He’s so good at comedy and being a decent human being.”
AdvertisementFinally, @jaimeblack summed up the vibe, “Someone on TikTok said Zach Woods is who Rainn Wilson thinks he is.
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