The Comedians Crazy For Saudi Cash

The Rest Is Entertainment

Goalhanger

News, Books, Entertainment News, Arts, Tv & Film

4.3 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 1 September 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Riyadh Comedy Festival - Why are comedians heading to a country where free speech laws are so strict? Who is Travis Kelce aka Mr Taylor Swift? Is he just her plus one? How has Michael Jackson’s estate gone from hundreds of millions of pounds in debt upon his death to now being worth billions? Why are some of the world’s biggest comedians including Dave Chappelle, Whitney Cummings and Jimmy Carr, heading to Saudi Arabia, a country with some of the strictest free speech laws on the planet? Is comedy really universal, or is this just laughing all the way to the bank? Taylor Swift’s fiancé is also a three-time Super Bowl champ. But is Travis Kelce just Mr Taylor Swift, or was he always destined to be a star off the field? Michael Jackson’s estate was drowning in debt when he died in 2009. Fast forward to today and it’s worth billions. So what happened? From lawsuits to musicals to a long-delayed biopic, the King of Pop’s legacy is proving to be very, very lucrative. But who’s really cashing in? Join The Rest Is Entertainment Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus content, ad-free listening, early access to Q&A episodes, access to our newsletter archive, discounted book prices with our partners at Coles Books, early ticket access to live events, and access to our chat community. Sign up directly at therestisentertainment.com The Rest Is Entertainment is proudly presented by Sky. Sky is home to award-winning shows such as The White Lotus, Gangs of London and The Last of Us. Requires relevant Sky TV and third party subscription(s). Broadband recommended min speed: 30 mbps. 18+. UK, CI, IoM only. To find out more and for full terms and conditions please visit Sky.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com Assistant Producer: Aaliyah AkudeVideo Editor: Kieron Leslie, Charlie Rodwell, Adam Thornton, Harry SwanProducer: Joey McCarthySenior Producer: Neil FearnHead of Content: Tom WhiterExec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by our good friends at Sky.
0:03.5	Some things were just made to be together. Salt of Vinegar, Holmes and Watson,
0:07.4	Tommy Shelby and a Taylor who asked no questions, preferably while pouring the whiskey.
0:12.3	Oh, salt and vinegar, definitely. Now, you can add to the list of those dynamic duos, Sky and Netflix.
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0:55.7	to start. Requires relevant SkyTV and third-party subscriptions. Sky Central TV includes a selection
1:01.0	of Sky channels, 18 plus UK, Channel Islands and I Love Man only.
1:17.4	This episode is brought to you by GoHenry, the money app and debit card where kids go to learn money.
1:22.9	Parents can watch their kids build confidence as they learn to budget their own money with limits set by you.
1:32.1	And exclusive to the rest of entertainment listeners, if you sign up today at gohenry.com slash entertainment, you'll get £5 free pocket money to help your kids grow their money sparts. The GoHenry card is issued by IDT Financial Services Limited, a principal member of Visa
1:36.9	Europe.
1:42.8	Hello and welcome to The Rest is Entertainment with me Marina Hi.
1:46.6	And me, Richard Osman. Hello, Marina.
1:48.4	Hello, Richard. How are you?
1:49.9	I'm very well. Have you had a nice week?
	...

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