Aziz Ansari is speaking out about why he agreed to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival.
The 42-year-old Good Fortune star appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live this week where Jimmy Kimmel grilled him on his decision.
Several comedians have been outspoken, calling out those who took part in the event, which was put on by not good people.
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“Now, obviously this is something that’s become a big part of the news because people, a lot of comedians especially, are very upset because this is, the people who paid the comedians are not good people,” Jimmy says. “They are, it’s a pretty brutal regime. They’ve done a lot of horrible, horrible things, and so people are questioning why you would go over there and take their money to perform in front front of these people.”
Aziz responded that he’s glad Jimmy asked and it’s something he “put a lot of thought into,” including asking his aunt who used to live in Saudi Arabia for advice.
“There’s people over there that don’t agree with the stuff that the government’s doing, and to ascribe like the worst behavior of the government onto those people, that’s not fair,” the actor and comedian shared. “Just like there’s people in America that don’t agree with the things the government is doing.”
However, Jimmy responded that the people and government there are much worse than in the United States. “They murdered a journalist,” he said.
“I was just there to do a show for the people,” Aziz said, adding his wife said, “’Whenever there’s repressive societies like this, they try to keep things out — whether it’s rock and roll music or blue jeans — because it makes people curious about outside ideas, outside values. And this is a very young country, like half the country is under the age of 25, and things can really change.’ And to me, a comedy festival felt like something that’s pushing things to be more open and to push a dialogue.”
“You kind of have to make a choice of whether you’re going to isolate or engage,” he continued. “For me, especially being me and looking the way I do and being from a Muslim background, it felt like something I should be a part of. And I hope it pushes things in a positive direction.”
“For this Riyadh thing, you know, it’s something I really thought about and even before I went, I said I’m going to do this and I hope it’s positive and if I’m going to do this, I share the concerns that people have brought up, and it’s all valid,” Aziz added. “I said to myself and to my team, I said, ‘Hey, if we do this, part of the fee should go to support causes that support free press and human rights.’”
When asked about which organizations, he noted Reporters Without Borders and Human Rights Watch.
“It’s a complicated issue, but I felt like it was something that’s pushing things in the right direction, I hope,” he said.
Another comedian who took part in the festival has also spoken out about their decision, blasting critics over it.