Listen "Saudi Arabia is no joke"
Episode Synopsis
The Riyadh Comedy Festival was billed as “two weeks of laughs in the desert” but has comics asking, “At what cost?”
This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Adriene Lilly, and hosted by Noel King.
A poster for the The Riyadh Comedy Festival shared by the Visit Saudi social media feed.
Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Adriene Lilly, and hosted by Noel King.
A poster for the The Riyadh Comedy Festival shared by the Visit Saudi social media feed.
Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More episodes of the podcast Today, Explained
Sexy TV is back
18/01/2026
RFK Jr.'s new food pyramid
16/01/2026
Trump's Greenland obsession
15/01/2026
Can anyone stop ICE?
14/01/2026
Your student loan bill is due
13/01/2026
China is winning
12/01/2026
Why everyone is sick right now
11/01/2026
AI music is here
09/01/2026
An ICE shooting in Minnesota
08/01/2026
Deported to a country you've never heard of
07/01/2026
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.