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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Entertainment
Benjamin Lee

Bill Burr calls critics of Riyadh comedy festival ‘sanctimonious’ and ‘phoney’

a man looks off to the side
BIll Burr in Hollywood in August. Photograph: Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage

Bill Burr has defended his appearance at the controversial Riyadh comedy festival, calling his critics “sanctimonious cunts”.

The comedian has been under fire, alongside Kevin Hart, Louis CK, Aziz Ansari and Dave Chappelle, for being on the lineup for what was billed as “the world’s largest comedy festival”. The Human Rights Watch called out the event as a distraction, aiming to focus on something light rather than the “soaring number of executions” taking place while comedians such as Marc Maron and Shane Gillis expressed disappointment. David Cross wrote that he was “disgusted” in a statement.

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