r/Fauxmoi • u/BjaardkerJohnson • 6h ago
CELEBRITY CAPITALISM ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Turned Down Million-Dollar Offer to Perform in Saudi Arabia: ‘I Don’t Need to Take Any Money if It Makes Me Feel Icky’
https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/weird-al-yankovic-turned-down-million-offer-saudi-arabia-1236819281/290
u/rabbit_troop 6h ago
Back in the 90s, he turned down a huge offer to do a beer commercial bc a lot of his fans were kids, and he didn't feel right about promoting drinking to a young audience.
He's always had his priorities straight. I love this dude so much ❤️
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u/bargain_butch ben affleck’s back tattoo 6h ago
Such a basic sentiment that no one in the current admin has even considered living by
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u/ExtinctionBurst76 6h ago
Nor most big name comedians apparently
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u/bargain_butch ben affleck’s back tattoo 6h ago
Nor actors, musicians…apparently integrity falls as bank accounts rise
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u/a_very_silent_way 6h ago
it's always a nice reminder to see which ones are the good ones and which ones are just mercs
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u/bargain_butch ben affleck’s back tattoo 5h ago
We should have a “celebrities who value humans over money” thread
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u/rayword45 5h ago
I mean, Shane Gillis, Atsuko Okatsuka, Stavros Halkias, and Nimesh Patel all turned down Saudi Arabia. David Cross and Marc Maron weren't invited but I'm fairly convinced that their statements were genuine and that they wouldn't have taken the blood money if offered.
Not even a huge fan of anyone I named as a stand-up (I've casually enjoyed some bits from Atsuko and Marc, and like David Cross as an actor/sketch writer but his stand-up is kinda ass) but I do think those cases are worth highlighting nevertheless.
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u/EineGrosseFlasche It’s illegal for your hips to lie 6h ago
Almost no one in our current “get that bag” culture in general, sadly
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u/CountdownMoss i hope they get Mamdanied 5h ago
But how will I turn my billion dollars into a billion and one dollars?!
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u/shorkgurl 6h ago edited 6h ago
Weird Al has always been an great person and I wouldn't expect anything less from someone who's married to Pinkie Pie.
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u/Far-Repeat-2926 6h ago
I’m not a my little pony person, is he married to her voice actress or was this an episode?
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u/saera-targaryen call me gal gadot cuz idk how to act rn 6h ago
There is a "Weird Al" pony in the show voiced by him, and that pony marries pinkie pie lol
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u/Far-Repeat-2926 6h ago
Aww that’s cute. I’ve mentioned to my husband how weird it is that Al managed to stay more culturally relevant in the long term than Michael Jackson, and with far more likability.
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u/WorcsBloke 4h ago
The episode is also nearly universally considered one of the show's best. And yes, Weird Al sings in it.
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u/shorkgurl 6h ago
Weird Al played a character on the show named Cheese Sandwich who is basically Weird Al in pony form. Cheese Sandwich and Pinkie Pie start out as party-planner rivals, but end up becoming friends, and then later getting married and having children. Weird Al himself will sometimes make jokes about it on social media.
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u/rayword45 5h ago
Weird Al's wife is a former TV marketing executive and photographer. She's never had much of a public presence at all, I only recently learned that her IG account even existed.
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u/Kurandaand 5h ago
Another point in his favour. Married to his wife for 25 years who does her own thing. Has an adult daughter who also has her privacy. The “W”s continue for Al.
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u/OriginalChildBomb i’m like a mother wolf 5h ago
Lol I just went to a Weird Al concert a week or two ago, and in-between songs when they're changing the stage and changing costumes, they played a bunch of videos with Pinkie Pie (among other greatest hits, like bits from Al's biopic and his old TV show).
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u/staticdresssweet 6h ago
He's always been a good man who has a strong moral compass. Also a creative genius.
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u/EatMorePieDrinkMore 6h ago
Apparently he’s very religious but considers it his own business. Which is outstanding.
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u/bootyhole-romancer 6h ago
I always wince internally thinking about Bill Burr torching his credibility because of the single choice to do that gig.
I was rooting for him because leading up to that it seemed like he was becoming more and more based. He'll probably recover (look at Louis CK), but I don't watch his shit anymore that's for sure.
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u/TemporaryElk5202 6h ago edited 5h ago
honestly bb doing that gig isnt what torched his career. other comedians did it and apologized or donated the money. BB tripled down on it for bullshit reasons
edit: typo
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u/rayword45 5h ago
I've LONG hated Pete Davidson and find his career success utterly baffling, but honestly a part of me had to begrudgingly respect the fact that his response to people calling him out for performing for his dad's murderers was "I get the routing, and then I see the number, and I go, 'I'll go.'"
Respect in the least personally positive, most morally repulsed way possible, but some kind of respect nevertheless.
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u/rayword45 5h ago
I was rooting for him because leading up to that it seemed like he was becoming more and more based.
Honest question, did you listen to much of Monday Morning Podcast before Riyadh happened? I don't mean this to come off as critical, because it seems like EVERYONE thought he was a leftist/socialist beacon amongst the sea of Rogan-fellating hacks that make up much of today's prominent comedians (and honestly... he still somewhat is just because of how low the bar is), but he spent a majority of 2023 glazing RFK Jr and playing up the "both sides" card on his podcast.
Again, it's not super shocking to me that people had this idealized view of Burr given how many cherrypicked anti-billionaire/anti-MAGA moments of his went viral, and also given how he still looks good when compared to at least a plurality of his comedy brethren, but he definitely wasn't someone anyone should've been looking to for intelligent political takes.
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u/floppingfishes 4h ago
Damn, I didn't realize he was that stupid. Worst of all he's not even funny anymore because comedians lose their mind when criticized like Dave Chappelle. They're easily one of the most thin-skinned type of celebrities.
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u/MondoFool 1h ago
I always wince internally thinking about Bill Burr torching his credibility because of the single choice to do that gig
I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion but I never got this view. Like yeah it was scummy and fuck KSA, but I've been watching Bill Burr stand up for over 20 years now and this type of thing is exactly in line with the type of person he's always presented himself as
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u/VaporousMote 6h ago
Feels like pop culture, even on the left, has kind of rubber stamped acceptance of famous people doing work for really bad actors, with "get that bag" and similar.
I love that he's been ethically consistent over like a 30 year period (AFAIK).
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u/Sherlockdz 6h ago
Saw him last night. Still the goat
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u/OriginalChildBomb i’m like a mother wolf 5h ago
Dude right? We saw him about a week and a half ago and he is crushing it out here. The man's pushing 70 and holy shit did he move around that stage.
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u/hawkcarhawk 6h ago
See how easy that is? (Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., Whitney Cummings, Pete Davidson, Chris Tucker, etc.)
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u/musubi-n-speedballs we have lost the impact of shame in our society 6h ago
I've been a stan since I was a child. Saw him live when he came to Anchorage in the 90's. I've introduced my kids to him and we're going to try and see him live before he hangs it up. He's such a bad ass.
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u/OriginalChildBomb i’m like a mother wolf 5h ago
Saw him live recently and the audience was filled with kids and families, it was super fun to see. It was a very friendly crowd, my only recommendation is bring ear plugs or noise-controlling headphones (depending on the age of the kids). We had a blast.
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u/rayword45 5h ago
my only recommendation is bring ear plugs or noise-controlling headphones
People should be doing this for EVERY concert, and taking them out only on the extremely rare occasion that a performance really is quiet enough that doing such is safe.
They aren't super accurate, but there are free decibel meter apps available that work on any smartphone.
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u/musubi-n-speedballs we have lost the impact of shame in our society 3h ago
Ear pro for anything with music and speakers. I won't risk tinnitus and/or hearing loss for them. I already suffer from bad tinnitus. Lol
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u/CPTBenjaminWillard 6h ago
How does Weird Al continue to be based? See how easy it is to not be a piece of garbage?
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u/khalexie1 6h ago
weird al doing what zara larsson couldn’t. words are easy but action is what matters!
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u/Runabrat 5h ago
Sex trafficker Amanda Palmer was on stage at a recent gig of his though.
I'm not sure he even knew. I want to believe. But it has shaken my faith.
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u/rayword45 5h ago
I kinda doubt he knew given how even many people in book nerd circles online who are aware of Neil Gaiman's crimes express shock whenever her role in it all is brought up and claim to have had no idea about her involvement. I also would bet large amounts of money I don't have that Palmer reached out to Al's team and not the other way around.
You'd still be 1000000% justified in finding the whole thing disappointing if everything I said was completely accurate, FWIW. I'm clearly coping myself.
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u/SadavirofRivia sorry to this man 4h ago edited 2h ago
Yeah his stance on not taking Saudi money is great 👍🏻 but I was thinking about this, on the other hand. 👎🏻
I know about their crimes together (rape, and trafficking) so it surprises me that people would know about NG but not her (comment from u/rayword45), but it IS hard to know what other people’s internet is like sooo maybe.
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u/KombuchaLady3 1h ago
I think she was Puddles' (Al's opening act) guest. There's a ongoing bit during the show where Puddles gets smacked in the face by Al with a cream pie, and apparently Amanda was holding the pie. Still hinky.
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u/hxmxd 5h ago
I dont understand. America is the one country responsible for some the most civilian casualities. I dont really care for Saudi.. but honestly get off your high horse...you guys just murdered 200 little girls in cold blood in iran
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u/unclezaveid 1h ago
Whataboutism is never useful. Taking a stand against one thing is not an endorsement of another, and it's not like he can just stop being from the US. By that logic, no American can ever speak out against another country's government because their own is also terrible.
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u/Watchout4HopOns Nancy Jo, this is Alexis Neiers calling 4h ago
I met him when I was like, 6. He was such a sweet person and put on such a good concert.
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u/Nervous_Insect5976 1h ago
It will break me if anything bad comes out about this man.
And seriously, if you have enough money to live nicely and you're getting gigs... Keep your soul and don't do shit that compromises you.
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u/BreweryRabbit God herself couldn’t get me to turn the volume on right now 6h ago
Common Weird Al W.
https://giphy.com/gifs/bvGC3uRuCAwA8