By Leena Nasir

Copyright dailycaller

Comedian David Cross blasted fellow comics for joining Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival, calling it “performing for literally, the most oppressive regime on earth.”

Cross singled out Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr and others, accusing them of selling out for cash in a lengthy statement posted to his website Monday. (RELATED: Theo Von’s Netflix Flop Sparks Relapse Rumors)

“I am disgusted, and deeply disappointed in this whole gross thing,” he said. “That people I admire, with unarguable talent, would condone this totalitarian fiefdom for…what, a fourth house? A boat? More sneakers?”

Cross escalated his criticism, writing, “We can never again take seriously anything these comedians complain about (unless it’s complaining that we don’t support enough torture and mass executions of journalists and LGBQT peace activists here in the states, or that we don’t terrorize enough Americans by flying planes into our buildings).”

“I mean that’s it you have a funny bit about how you don’t like Yankee Candles or airport lounges?” he said. “Okay great, but you’re cool with murder and/or the public caning of women who were raped, and by having the audacity to be raped, were guilty of ‘engaging in adultery’? Got any bits on that?”

Cross said he considered several of the performers his “heroes” before calling them out by name.

“Some of you folks don’t stand for anything so you don’t have any credibility to lose, but my god, Dave and Louie and Bill, and Jim? Clearly you guys don’t give a shit about what the rest of us think, but how can any of us take any of you seriously ever again?”

He accused the comics of hypocrisy for “bitching about ‘cancel culture’ and ‘freedom of speech’ and all that shit.”

“Done. You don’t get to talk about it ever again. By now we’ve all seen the contract you had to sign. You’re performing for literally, the most oppressive regime on earth. They have SLAVES for fuck’s sake!!!” he said.

He closed by blasting the performers’ motives.

“I don’t understand how being rich can make someone such a whore,” he said.

Cross said he could at least understand “poor people desperate to improve their” lives, taking questionable gigs, but argued the comics in Riyadh had no such excuse.

“This is truly the definition of ‘blood money’. You might as well do commercials for Lockheed Martin or Zyklon B.”

He added that his opinion of the performers would be permanently changed unless they confronted the issue directly on stage.

“This is dedicated to all of the widows and widowers and kids orphaned by this bloodthirsty oppressive regime especially from the zany shenanigans on 9/11. Never Forget Motherfuckers! Alright, so it’s great to be here. I’m gonna be killing it tonight! But in the good way! Straight up. No MbS.’ then your hypocrisy will never not be noted,” he wrote.

None of the comedians singled out in his statement have publicly responded.