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(NewsNation) — Turns out, there may be some moralists after all in Hollywood.
On Sunday, comedians like Marc Maron, Shane Gillis and Zack Woods openly slammed their peers for participating in the Riyadh Comedy Festival, a state-sponsored event in Saudi Arabia that Human Rights Watch said was designed to deflect attention from the country’s “brutal repression of free speech” and other human rights violations.
Comedians who performed at the “world’s largest comedy festival,” which featured more than 50 international comedians, included Louis CK, Aziz Ansari, Hannibal Buress, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Jessica Kirson and Pete Davidson.
And while Maron wasn’t invited, Gillis and Woods were… but declined the $1 million payday.
Gillis announced he had taken a “principled stand” against the event after organizers offered him a “significant amount” of money and said: “You don’t 9/11 your friends.”
Woods said on Instagram: “Name one comedian who hasn’t whored themself out to a dictator.”
Saudia Arabia has paid millions of dollars to performers
It is de rigueur for Saudi Arabia to pay famous names a minimum of seven figures to perform in the Human Rights-stained country.
The figures only went up after 2018, when Washington Post journalist Jamaal Khashoggi was brutally murdered by a team of 15 Saudi guards who dismembered him and burned his body inside the Saudi Consulate in Turkey.
ISTANBUL, TURKEY – OCTOBER 08: A man holds a poster of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a protest organized by members of the Turkish-Arabic Media Association at the entrance to Saudi Arabia’s consulate on October 8, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey. Fears are growing over the fate of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi after Turkish officials said they believe he was murdered inside the Saudi consulate. Saudi consulate officials have said that missing writer and Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi went missing after leaving the consulate, however the statement directly contradicts other sources including Turkish officials. Jamal Khashoggi a Saudi writer critical of the Kingdom and a contributor to the Washington Post was living in self-imposed exile in the U.S. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images) 
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JULY 16: Shane Gillis speaks onstage during the 2025 ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre on July 16, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) 
FILE – Gwyneth Paltrow reacts to the verdict in her trial on March 30, 2023, in Park City, Utah. In a judgement published on Saturday, April 29, 2023, the court affirmed the jury’s verdict finding Paltrow not at fault for a 2016 collision with Terry Sanderson and said Sanderson would not be required to pay Paltrow’s attorney fees and had agreed not to appeal the verdict. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool, File) 
L’acteur Jason Momoa lors de la cérémonie du prix Cartier Glory To The Filmmaker Award 2025 et de la projection du film In the Hand of Dante au 82e Festival du film de Venise, le 3 septembre 2025. (Photo by Laurent KOFFEL/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images) 
FILE – Pete Davidson attends the premiere of “Meet Cute,” Sept. 20, 2022, in New York. “Saturday Night Live” is ready to make its return, five months after ending its season early due to the writers strike. NBC announced Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, that Davidson will host the season 49 premiere on Oct. 14, with musical guest Ice Spice. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) 
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 17: Johnny Depp attends the “Jeanne Du Barry” press conference at the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 17, 2023 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Guillaume Horcajuelo/Pool/Getty Images)
The murder caused a huge international outcry — but it’s one that, with money and time, can be forgotten… at least by Hollywood.
Just a year after Khashoggi’s killing, Mariah Carey accepted $2 million to perform in Jeddah as part of the inaugural Saudi International Golf Tournament being held at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City.
That same year, “Aquaman” star Jason Momoa, who has reportedly struck up a friendship with the powerful Saudi royal Mohammed bin Salman, joined the Joy Forum 2019 and has made several all-expense-paid trips over the years ever since.
Celebrities take break from Saudia Arabia
After Carey and Momoa, and the press outrage that followed, there were a few years where no one went to the Middle East Kingdom.
But in 2023 — five years after Khashoggi’s murder — the drought ended.
The same year, Manahel al-Otaibi, a women’s rights activist, was subject to “forcible disappearance” where she was tortured, and a 27-year-old Saudi man was sentenced to 500 lashes and five years’ imprisonment for homosexuality in Jeddah.
The Saudi royals held the Red Sea Festival to promote their entertainment industry.
Johnny Depp and Gwyneth Paltrow receive huge paydays
No matter to Hollywood stars looking for cash because that was the year Will Smith was paid $1 million to attend the Festival, according to Variety.
Johnny Depp, still reeling from his divorce and proceedings with Amber Heard — and had yet to score another Hollywood contract yet — also scored a similar amount to hang out at the Festival… as did Halle Berry, also not reeling in the movie big bucks, who was also on the $1 million Saudi list.
However, the “big get” for the Red Sea Festival was Gwyneth Paltrow, who, despite her stance on feminism and women’s rights, attended the event and was, according to her biographer, Amy Odell, paid even more… a whopping $1.6 million.
A year later, in 2024, Celine Dion warbled in the country for a rumored seven-figure amount, despite it also being the year that Saudi Arabia had its highest number of state executions — setting modern era records — many for non-violent drug offenses. Homosexuality at the time was still punishable by prison, flogging and/or death.
So while it is disgusting these comedians would flock to Saudi for cash, let’s never forget Ricky Gervais’ astute monologue during the 2020 Golden Globes where he said to a room full of shocked — shocked! — actors, “If ISIS started a streaming service, you’d call your agent, wouldn’t you?”
Yes, they would… and they are.