• Facebook
• Twitter
• Threads
• Flipboard
• Comments
• Print
• Email
• Add Fox News on Google

Bill Maher calls out Dave Chappelle for downplaying free speech in America while at Saudi comedy festival

‘Real Time’ host Bill Maher criticized comedian Dave Chappelle for his comments downplaying free speech in America during his performance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia.

Stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle rejected the notion that late Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk was "this generation's Martin Luther King," arguing that, besides the fact that both were assassinated, "that's about where those similarities end."

During his latest Netflix special, "The Unstoppable," which premiered Friday, the comedian offered his opinion on the idea that Kirk was comparable to civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.

"And the Whites were quick to say this. They said, 'Charlie Kirk is this generation's Martin Luther King.' No, he's not. Yeah, that's a reach. You know, they both got murdered in a terrible fashion. They both got shot in the neck, but that's about where those similarities end," he asserted.

JAMES CARVILLE DERIDES CHARLIE KIRK'S INFLUENCE, SAYS HE WASN'T 'A PIMPLE ON ROB REINER'S A--'

Dave Chappelle hosts "Saturday Night Live" Nov. 12, 2016. (Will Heath/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal)

Describing the late TPUSA founder as an "internet personality" and a "wholesome White guy," Chappelle revealed how he was affected by Kirk's assassination.

"If you talk for a living and see Charlie Kirk get murdered that way, I'll be honest, I was shook," he said.

When asked for comment by Fox News Digital, TPUSA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet  said, "Charlie Kirk was a modern-day Founding Father. He was a prophet of truth to the next generation. He was a faithful child of God. Charlie Kirk is Charlie Kirk. Comparisons don’t matter and mean nothing."

This was not the first time the comedian has commented on Kirk's assassination.

GAVIN NEWSOM REFLECTS ON HIS INTERVIEW WITH CHARLIE KIRK, THE ‘SINCERITY’ AND ‘GRACE’ OF SLAIN CONSERVATIVE

At the controversial Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia, held from late September to early October, The New York Times reported that Chappelle mocked what he described as a chilling effect on free speech in the United States, even as performers at the festival had signed contracts to present government-approved comedy acts.

According to The Times, Chappelle quipped, "Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you’ll get canceled. … I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m going to find out."

"Real Time" host Bill Maher took issue with these comments, blasting Chappelle on his show in October for downplaying free speech in America during his performance at the Saudi comedy festival.

"Real Time" host Bill Maher and comedian Dave Chappelle. (Noam Galai; Arturo Holmes)

"Dave Chappelle … was in the press today saying that you can speak more freely over here than in America," Maher told comedian Louis C.K., who is scheduled to perform at the Saudi comedy festival on Monday.

BILL MAHER NO LONGER DOING STAND-UP, FEARS BEING SHOT IN CURRENT CLIMATE

C.K. let out a laugh and conceded, "I don't know if that's true."

"Oh, it's not true," Maher said. 

He added that if Chappelle truly believed that Saudi Arabiahad fewer restrictions on free speech than America, he should have tested that claim by doing a routine about the Prophet Muhammad.

Chappelle responded to Maher's criticisms in his new special, saying, "I’ve known Bill since I was like 18, 19 years old, and I’ve never said this publicly, but f--- that guy.

Dave Chappelle during SNL Promos Jan. 14, 2025 (Rosalind O'Connor/NBC via Getty Images)

"I’m so f---ing tired of his little smug cracker-a-- commentary."

Fox News Digital reached out to representatives of Maher for comment. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Chappelle clarified his free speech comment during his Netflix special, noting, "I didn’t tell them to put this in the paper. I just said it on stage." He also told the audience not to "forget what I just went through," referencing his attempted cancellation a few years back.

"Two years ago, I almost got canceled right here in the United States for transgender jokes. But I gotta tell you something. Transgender jokes went over very well in Saudi Arabia," he asserted.

• ·微信辟谣“微信支付暂停”：服务一切正常
• ·时隔三年再度归来！国产恐怖游戏《人窟日记》发布全新预告
• ·Thanh Niên và tôi: Niềm vui của lần đầu được giải thưởng lớn
• ·美司法部开始公布爱泼斯坦案文件 外媒：部分信息被隐去
• ·宫崎英高称魂类游戏并非创新！只是设计理念满足玩家需求
• ·Phẫn nộ clip nhóm thiếu niên đánh đập, nhục mạ người đàn ông ở Huế
• ·小升初名词解释：特长生
• ·2023年山东省莱芜中考作文题目：今朝晴朗可喜
• ·嘀嗒出行报告：上下班是顺风车第一大场景，乘客00后占比近两成
• ·刘博：国内首家体验类运动主题乐园PartyDay的缔造者
• ·深圳烈豹逆转山东队占得先机，顾全贡献“准两双”庆生
• ·“2024年动感地带·5G校园先锋赛” 广西赛区线上海选赛圆满落幕
• ·"สมเด็จพระสังฆราชฯ"ประทานพระคติธรรม เนื่องในอภิลักขิตสมัยขึ้นปีใหม่ พุทธศักราช ๒๕๖๙
• ·《一代奇女子》(金佩姗演唱)的文本歌词及LRC歌词
• ·英锦赛：艾伦6杆50+下6
• ·海信将在2026年国际消费电子展上引领以人为本的显示技术革新