Zarna Garg, a popular Indian comedian with a global fan base and nearly 2 million Instagram followers, rarely discusses her decision to perform at last year’s controversial Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia, but that changed during a new appearance on Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown podcast series as Garg connected it to a higher calling.
“I really went with the spirit of if I’ve been ordained to do this by somebody, some higher power, it is my job to spread the message and to let women know that they can say what comes to their mind,” she told Bialik. “That slight freedom, if I can even inspire them to think in that direction, then I’m doing something positive for this world.”
The Riyadh Comedy Festival, which took place Sept. 26 – Oct. 9, 2025, saw a who’s who of stand-up talent travel to the country for a series of high profile performances. The roster included Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson, Whitney Cummings, Andrew Schulz, Aziz Ansari, Jim Jefferies, Jo Koy, Sebastian Maniscalco, Mark Normand, Tom Segura, Bobby Lee, Jeff Ross and more. It wound up causing a firestorm of controversy as word spread of its lineup, leading people like Marc Maron, David Cross and Atsuko Okatsuka to speak out against it given the kingdom’s history of oppression and human rights abuses.
