Ryan Seacrest under fire for taking job as keynote speaker at a Saudi Arabian festival as fans brand him a ‘sell-out’

Shaq, who has appeared in Saudi events before, is seen as one of the country’s top Western ambassadors alongside Seacrest

RYAN Seacrest is facing backlash after agreeing to serve as keynote speaker at a Saudi Arabian entertainment event linked to the country’s controversial government.

The American Idol host sparked outrage online after appearing at the Joy Forum 2025, a high-profile conference organized by the Saudi government to promote its entertainment industry.
Ryan Seacrest is facing backlash for serving keynote speakers at Saudi Arabian entertainment forumCredit: Instagram/ryanseacrest

The Joy Forum, founded by the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, is billed as one of the world’s largest gatherings for the global entertainment sectorCredit: Instagram / ryanseacrest
The two-day forum was held in Riyadh and hosted by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority and one of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s closest allies.

Fans quickly accused Seacrest of “selling out” by partnering with a regime long criticized for its human rights record.

“I’m not shocked,” one Reddit user wrote. “That man will do literally anything for a check.”

The Joy Forum, founded by the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, is billed as one of the world’s largest gatherings for the global entertainment sector.

It aims to “foster a joyful culture” and “build a vibrant society” in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan.

Critics, however, say it’s part of a broader effort to launder the image of suppressing dissent and silencing journalists.

Human Rights Watch has described such events as attempts “to deflect attention from brutal repression of free speech and other pervasive human rights violations.”

Turki Alalshikh, who oversaw the forum, has been described as a “key on-the-ground operator” in Mohammed bin Salman’s rise to power, the New York Times reported.

At this year’s Joy Forum, Alalshikh announced billions in new entertainment investments, including plans for WrestleMania 2027 – the first to be held outside the US.

He also unveiled upcoming collaborations with Warner Music, Atlantic Records, and basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal, who will reveal a new joint project later this year.

His ongoing partnership with the Saudi government has drawn mixed reactions online, with critics calling it another example of “sportswashing.”

The NBA Hall of Fame previously attended Riyadh Season and appeared in promotional clips for the Kingdom’s entertainment expansion, praising the country’s “vision for fun and unity.”

But fans online lumped him together with Seacrest amid growing outrage.

“Ryan Seacrest and Shaq would promote state-sanctioned murder if they got a check for it,” one Reddit comment read.

The Riyadh Comedy Festival also drew heavy criticism for featuring big-name US comedians despite alleged censorship restrictions.

The festival, which ran from September 26 to October 9, included performers like Bill Burr and Pete Davidson, whose appearance stunned fans given Saudi Arabia’s reputation, FastCompany reported.

Many comedians who turned down the gig mocked those who accepted.

“Sometimes in order to fight the power, you need to be paid by the power,” joked Vinny Thomas on X.

Another comic, Gianmarco Soresi, posted: “If you do the Riyadh Comedy Festival and don’t tell a joke that gets you imprisoned by the monarchy then what was even the point of having Trump on your podcast?”

TikTok comedian Shaan Baig joined in with an impression of Aziz Ansari, saying: “At first I was like oh noooo. But then they showed me the money and I was like, um, who cares about dead journalists? Get me to the desert.”

Marc Maron quipped that it was “easy to take the high road” since he wasn’t asked to perform.

He later joked on Instagram that the event should be promoted as “From the folks that brought you 9/11 – two weeks of laughter in the desert.”

Seacrest, 49, has not publicly addressed the criticism or explained his participation in the forum.