Zarna Garg, an internationally recognized Indian comedian with nearly two million Instagram followers, seldom speaks about her participation in last year’s contentious Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia. Her perspective emerged during a recent interview on Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown podcast, where she linked the appearance to a higher purpose.
“I approached it under the belief that a higher power has chosen me for this work,” she explained to Bialik. “If I can inspire women to express their thoughts freely, even in a small way, I consider that a positive contribution to the world.”
The Riyadh Comedy Festival, held from September 26 to October 9, 2025, gathered many leading stand‑up performers for a series of high‑profile shows. Among the participants were Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson, Whitney Cummings, Andrew Schulz, Aziz Ansari, Jim Jefferies, Jo Koy, Sebastian Maniscalco, Mark Normand, Tom Segura, Bobby Lee, Jeff Ross, and others. The event sparked a firestorm of controversy as news of its lineup spread, prompting figures such as Marc Maron, David Cross, and Atsuko Okatsuka to condemn it amid concerns over the kingdom’s human‑rights record.
Several of the comedians later defended their involvement, including Ansari and C.K. Burr remarked that he did not “give a damn” about public opinion. “The prevailing reaction has been, ‘How dare you perform there and make those oppressed people laugh, you piece of shit. I can’t believe you went there,’” Burr said on Conan O’Brien’s podcast. “The audience at the festival was enthusiastic. The comedians I spoke with felt that the attendees were eager for authentic stand‑up comedy. It ranked among my top three professional experiences.”
In the same podcast conversation, Garg noted that much of the criticism stems from limited understanding of Saudi Arabia.
“What they fail to grasp is that my material reaches audiences worldwide. In today’s digital age, jokes and specials travel uncontrollably. Women in that region often watch discreetly, messaging me: ‘Come perform for us. Show our daughters what a woman like them can say.’”
Garg disclosed that her children opposed the trip, but she pursued it to convey a message rather than financial gain. “Many assume the comics performed for pay. While earnings are essential, I am candid: the invited comedians earn substantial incomes in the U.S., and the organizers did not select struggling artists. We could have earned comparable fees elsewhere, but we did not go solely for money. I felt obligated to those women.”
In reality, the payment “wasn’t significant,” Garg noted, though the impact on representation outweighed the modest compensation.
She added that the authorities’ inclusion of a woman on the lineup reflects a modest concession. “If these governments truly need to diversify their lineups, they could have excluded us entirely. Yet even regimes with numerous flaws are beginning to recognize the value of engaging half the population,” she said. “While many issues remain indefensible, the opening they created, however narrow, deserves our effort to expand it.”