Not many performers would walk away from the biggest payday of their career.
But “Weird Al” Yankovic says he did exactly that.
The parody music icon has revealed he rejected a seven-figure offer to perform at Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival last year. Saying the money simply wasn’t worth compromising his principles.
Speaking to TribLive, Yankovic said the offer was worth more than he’d ever been paid for a single show.
“I wish people would offer me things that I didn’t feel bad about accepting,” he said. “They offered me…Seven figures to do one show, which is way more than I’ve ever been offered in my life to do a show. But I just couldn’t be part of that.”
Yankovic stopped short of criticising the comedians who accepted the lucrative invitations. Including Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, Louis C.K., Pete Davidson and Aziz Ansari.
“I’m not dissing anybody that took the money because I’m sure everybody that went there got a lot of money,” he said. “I’m doing enough that I don’t need to take any amount of money if it makes me feel icky.”
The state-backed Riyadh Comedy Festival divided the comedy world. Several high-profile performers refusing to take part over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and the event’s ties to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Comedians Marc Maron, Jimmy Kimmel and David Cross were among those who publicly criticised the festival. While Atsuko Okatsuka revealed she also declined an invitation after learning performers faced restrictions on jokes about the Saudi government, legal system and religious customs.
Yankovic’s comments come just weeks after he also made headlines for pulling out of an advertisement promoting AI software. Adding another high-profile refusal to a career that’s increasingly proving some paycheques just aren’t worth cashing.
