Comedy Central (Saudi Edition): Laughing All the Way to the Khashoggi Rebrand
While CBS highlights the reported million-dollar paychecks for acts like Dave Chappelle, Pete Davidson, and Kevin Hart, and the crown prince's 'rebrand,' they make scant mention of the specific allegations of MBS's direct involvement in the 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as documented by U.S. intelligence. It seems the price tag for 'controversy' is easily dwarfed by the cash
for whitewashing. These events aren’t just 'sportswashing' or 'artwashing'; they’re 'dictatorship chic,' designed to distract from state-sanctioned murder and rampant suppression of dissent, including reports of arbitrary arrests and torture of human rights activists. One might wonder if jokes about free speech or government transparency are on the setlist, or if the comedians' contracts include a
'no material critical of host regime' clause. After all, when you're paid seven figures to entertain a monarchy, perhaps moral indignation is a luxury you can afford to leave at home. Just how many laughs does it take to make us forget the smell of formaldehyde?