Why Arguments About Free Speech Don’t Apply to the Riyadh Comedy Festival

Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle and others have framed their participation as a matter of open expression. Yet they’re maddeningly vague about how much dissent is possible in Saudi Arabia.

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Being a High-Profile Comedian Right Now Is No Joke

With the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel on the heels of the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s show, the landscape has unquestionably shifted for comics and hosts.

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Lionizing Mark Twain, Conan O’Brien Subtly Skewers Trump

In accepting the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the comedian mounted a bristling political attack artfully disguised as a tribute.

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Johnny Carson and the Fantasy of America

The late-night host looms over the culture to this day, in part because he knew how to mix comedy and sex. But there was a darkness at the heart of his appeal.

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