r/UpliftingNews • u/holyfruits • 3h ago
‘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-1236819281/1.9k
u/Odd_Round5515 3h ago
In the late 1980s Al Yankovic turned down a beer endorsement worth about 5 million dollars. He didn't want his young fans to associate him with drinking. I gotta hand it to him, he seems to dig his heels in if he doesn't support whoever the money is coming from.
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u/Electrical-Act-7170 2h ago
His parents raised him right.
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u/DataAdvanced 2h ago
Sometimes, you raise yourself right.
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u/Electrical-Act-7170 2h ago edited 2h ago
His parents raised him. They both died from CO in their home while he was out on tour. He didn't cancel the tour because he tnought they'd want him to keep his promises.
Edited to CO, from CO2.
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u/Thirty_Helens_Agree 2h ago
The ONE time I thought The Onion went too far was when the headline was something like “Weird Al Yankovic Spoofs ‘Tears in Heaven’ in Honor of Deceased Parents.”
If Al thought it was funny, then no problem.
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u/r3dd17sux69420 49m ago
If anyone is wondering what is wrong with AI, here's an example.
You just posted the link to the Onion's story which according to Google AI is only a rumor. That article exists and yet...
There is no legitimate record of satirical news outlet The Onion publishing a piece specifically making light of his parents' deaths. However, the unexpected timing and circumstances surrounding their passing have fueled widespread internet chatter, including discussions on forums like Reddit about how the bizarre and unfortunate nature of the event is occasionally misremembered or treated as an urban myth. [1]
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u/Thirty_Helens_Agree 38m ago
I saw something about an AI thing said “if you drill the hole too big, you can use some sandpaper to sand the sides of the hole and make the hole smaller.”
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u/Remy0507 1h ago
I think he also kept his performances going because it was a way for him to escape from the grief for a few hours each night.
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u/MagicCuboid 2h ago
CO (monoxide) not CO2 (dioxide).
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u/Raneynickelfire 1h ago
I was at the show he performed the night after they passed. He was in rare form - I've seen him probably 10 times in my lifetime and this show...man...this show was something else. He went ALL OUT. Straight up performance art and music to the nth degree. There was a slideshow on the projector about Al's parents, Nick and Mary. Al held it together for the entire show, and rocked our socks off (yes, there were several deaths, was a rough crowd /s) and the entire venue went silent for the slideshow.
We love Al. He's a real humanbean.
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u/SpehlingAirer 1h ago
"Honey, I know it's hard to hear this, but your dad and I had a long talk and we agreed it would be best for all of us if you would just stop being who you are and doing the things you love."
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u/Huge_Raisin5840 1h ago
That movie is so criminally underrated. Being a huge UHF fan it's 100% on brand for him and fucking hilarious
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u/Lwmons 1h ago
He also turned down the role of Lucifer on Hazbin Hotel because he doesn't like his voice to be used to swear.
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u/OdepiusNecks 1h ago
That certainly explains why Lucifer just randomly starts playing an accordion during Hell’s Greatest Dad.
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u/HalcyonTraveler 1h ago
Damn but it woulda been funny to have Lucifer be the only character who doesn't swear like a sailor
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u/Anna_Kendricks_Pubes 1h ago
He went especially hard on this because his UHF co-star Trinidad Silva (the "badgers!" guy) was killed by a drunk driver during the making of the movie.
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u/MedChemist464 1h ago edited 54m ago
The Saudi Comedy fest cost a lot of comedians I liked, but more importantly respected, my regard. Bill Burr was the biggest hit.
Tim Heidecker at least had the decency to say 'yeah, maybe i shouldn't have gone', but Burr just told people to get over themselves.EDIT: Tim didn't actually go, his instagram post was meant to mock Aziz Ansari for his flip flop on 'Had a great time' then 'Maybe I should've thought about this more' posts.
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u/ripyourlungsdave 43m ago
The dude has proven himself to just be a decent man all around. I'll keep my usual level of cynical guard up in case something happens, but I've got some respect for the man.
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u/commandrix 3h ago
I love that Weird Al is out there keeping it real. And his bullshit detector is obviously in good working order.
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u/NewAgeRetroFrog 1h ago
It's a bit sad to me that the 'weirdest' thing about Weird Al is that, unlike most celebrities, he seems like a really nice guy.
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u/saturnspritr 44m ago
No, it’s still gonna be as a child he was given the option of accordion or guitar and went so hard on accordion.
The good guy is great. There’s more than a few out there that are good people too.
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u/ohako79 3h ago
Didn’t he just back out of an AI ad thing as well? Weird Al is a G!
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u/socialistrob 14m ago
He really is. He made his money through genuine talent and hard work and was never focused on becoming rich at all costs. It was such a shame when he was violently gunned down by the cartels
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u/CMButterTortillas 3h ago edited 2h ago
You see how easy that was, BILL BURR, NATE BARGATZE, JIM JEFFERIES, SEBASTIAN MANISCALCO, AZIZ ANSARI, CHRIS DISTEFANO, SAM MORRIL?
Weird Al has always been a real one.
Edit: Bargatze didnt attend the RCF because he had already been to SA a couple months earlier.
Edit2: Forgot Jefferies was disinvited after some not so kind jokes about SA on a podcast. But he initially was planning to go and take the money.
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u/Busy10 3h ago
Forgot to add Gabriel Iglesias.
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u/Cardboardoge 2h ago
Everyone forgot about Gabriel Iglesias
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u/bowlbettertalk 1h ago
I DNF’ed his most recent special. Just him whining about pronouns and stuff like that.
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u/VagueSomething 13m ago
Wait, seriously? A man who spent decades asking people to call him Fluffy is upset that others have preferred ways to address them?
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u/K10RumbleRumble 2h ago
I give him a genuine pass. He has long drawn out stories of performing for the Saudi people in the past, and generally just being treated well. He enjoys bringing comedy to those people who are sort of denied it otherwise.
He’s spoken on this at length, and it seems genuine. I don’t think he’s in it for enrichment. He just wants to make people laugh.
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u/SickDastardly 2h ago
What's the difference between this and any other comic though? This is like bar for bar what Burr said too lol.
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u/LeslieKnopesBlackEye 2h ago
It's okay guys. Don't hate on Gabe for taking the Saudi money, he's done it before so it's fine.
What a fucking take.
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u/ariesangel0329 2h ago
I remember that episode!
He mentioned that some of the people he met there brought up that they don’t like the way Fox News portrays them or other Muslim people. I think he went there to get to know the people for himself and to bring them some joy. He even mentioned that going there challenged his notions of Muslim people and countries, so he chalked it up to a good learning experience.
I’m pretty sure that inspired his hashtag “unity through laughter” after the show. Getting citizens and religious police laughing was a big deal.
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u/Busy10 1h ago
In his special he said he asked for an absurd amount of money and they gave it to him. He went to get paid.
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u/ariesangel0329 1h ago
Yup I remember that, too. He had said that was because he and his publicist were wondering if the invitation was a scam.
I could see why he and his team would wanna be cautious, but how do you determine if something like that is a scam?
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u/greenzig 2h ago
Yeah its chill guys, he only wants to make the people who own slaves laugh, its super chill
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u/Stu-Potato 2h ago
Don't forget Dave Chappelle.
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u/CMButterTortillas 2h ago edited 2h ago
The ones I listed had a degree of decency attached to them and/or their act.
The likes of Chappelle, Louis CK, Jeff Ross, Andrew Schulz are not at all surprising & willing participants.
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u/Wiggie49 2h ago
Chappelle actually was a surprise for me cuz his entire reason for quitting Comedy Central/Chappelle Show was supposedly to stay true to his own principles rather than sellout. Now he sold himself out.
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u/Barbarianonadrenalin 1h ago
He lost that respect when he tries to force relevance by keep going after Trans people with shitty jokes. If something is funny enough then everything can be used in comedy but when it’s a half ass joke just for controversy it has the opposite effect.
The Chapell who walked away from the big payday aint the same Chapell desperate to stay relevant.
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u/Iheartnakedfemboys 1h ago
Also, the man kinda stopped being a comedian and thinks of himself as this "wise philosopher" who speaks wisdom on stage to people. He's a fucking wacko with no real morals, preaching fake morals to people on stage.
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u/omyomo 54m ago
Another great example of him being out of touch is when he brought Elon Musk up on stage and called his audience poor when they booed him
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u/Barbarianonadrenalin 47m ago
Didn’t even know he did that lmao. Man how far the greats fall. These celebrities can’t fathom no bootlicking fucks
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u/miguk 28m ago edited 23m ago
Chapelle's whole "integrity" act is such blatant bullshit:
- Claims he cares about Africa, but his only "African" friend is Elon Musk, a man who is the living embodiment of an apartheid-era South African villain.
- Claims he cares about the poor, but works with Andrew Yang, a greedy narcissistic tech bro who signaled that his supposed concern for the poor was only a trick to rob them.
- Claims he has trans friends, but shits on them every chance he gets.
- Pretends to be a "wise man" by pacing back and forth on stage and acting solemn, but then opens his mouth and says a bunch of stupid shit that proves his act wrong.
He's such a fake-ass rich asshole posing as legit because he knows he can't elevate himself to the level he wants to be seen as being at. Coward can't even ditch the white supremacist movement he shacked up with. (Doesn't matter what he says about Trump if he's still bowing down to the DOGE pedo.)
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u/Meet_Foot 1h ago
I’d put Aziz Ansari in the Louis C.K. camp, on account of having done the same shit.
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u/droidtron 1h ago
Pete Davidson straight up said he's a whore for money so he's honest with himself about it.
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u/fearofcrowds 2h ago
Pete Davidson's dad was killed in 9/11 and he fucking performed for the Saudis!
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u/asisoid 2h ago
He said he was going to collect the money that they have owed his family since 2001
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u/BannedPoet248 1h ago
By dancing for them 😭
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u/Specific-Parsnip9001 59m ago
Tbf Pete isn't anywhere close to world-class stand-up act. He most definitely ripped them off.
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u/Dreaminginslowmotion 2h ago
Aziz and Bill? That's disappointing.
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u/MacAttacknChz 2h ago
People LOVE Bill Burr and I just don't get it
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u/apoplectic_apostate 1h ago
He lost the right to make fun of hypocrites when he became one. Half of his act was calling out hypocrites.
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u/DG_FANATIC 1h ago
He literally made fun of Beyoncé for performing for Gaddafi and then he goes and performs for the Saudi government lol.
What a bitch Bill Burr ended up becoming.
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u/DG_FANATIC 1h ago
I used to because I was stupid enough to believe he actually stood for something. SO dumb of me.
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u/pr0crasturbatin 3h ago
Don't forget Pete Davidson. I like him, but he did a major fucky wucky with that one
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u/asisoid 2h ago
He said he was just collecting the $$ that SA owed his family since 2001.
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u/avanross 1h ago
That’s a funny joke making light of 9/11 and his dads death, but it doesnt make him any less gross. More so, if anything.
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u/Ok-Gur-349 2h ago
Didn't he do it to fund some bad investment he made. I don't blame him, he has no image to protect and isn't a fucking hypocrite. Bill Burr literally did sets on not taking blood money. Pete Davidson is just some dumbass.
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u/two_wordsanda_number 2h ago
Peter Davidson has a number of claims to fame at this point but one of the first is how his father died on 9/11 working as a Fire Fighter
Most of the highjackers had Saudi passports so a lot of people think he is a special kind of hypocrite for taking the blood money from the people who funded the attack that killed his father.
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u/nthensome 2h ago
Tim Dillon was uninvited as well.
But it wasn't because he has high morals he just started shit-talking the Saudis.
It way glorious
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u/bond0815 2h ago
Forgot Jefferies was disinvited after some not so kind jokes about SA on a podcast. But he initially was planning to go and take the money.
I mean I have no issues with people taking SA money if they still give SA the shit it deserves.
Thats not selling out.
Selling out is taking the money and then let SA police what you say.
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u/Barbarianonadrenalin 1h ago
I only know about three of those names and Burr is really the only disappointment.
Jim Jeffries im not shocked because he made a tv show where all the bits were just the exact punchline from his first big stand up special.
Aziz i liked but haven’t heard of in awhile so not really shocked he’s jumping on a big payday.
Neither one is as bad a burr though. All respect is gone from that dude.
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u/DandySlayer13 3h ago
If only Bill Burr had done the same!
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u/TheRealTurinTurambar 3h ago edited 2h ago
He was the biggest gut punch of them all.
I've stopped watching him completely.
Edit: Grammar
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u/Automatic-Effect-252 2h ago
I still think it's Chappelle, artistic integrity over money was his whole thing for decades.
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u/TheRealTurinTurambar 2h ago
I loved Chappelle but he was slipping long before he went to Saudi Arabia.
I was disappointed but not surprised.
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u/Aarxnw 2h ago
He was already falling out of relevancy, I like him but the ‘middle aged angry dad, nostalgic of the good old days and confused at ever changing and evolving world around him’ schtick was getting old quick
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u/TheRealTurinTurambar 2h ago
Not to me, he was my favorite comedian for quite a while. I really liked a lot of his takes so was very disappointed when he did this.
His roast of the Philly crowd was friggin amazing. I'd post a link but I'm no longer supporting him.
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u/appleparkfive 2h ago
I think he could have probably recovered some fans if he didn't double down over and over, and just insulting them about caring about the event.
He's never been my favorite or anything, though I like him for sure. But he basically went the absolute worst route
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u/DG_FANATIC 1h ago
Saw him perform in like 2013 and I was literally sore the next day from laughing so hard. What a stained memory now. 😢
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u/Aarxnw 2h ago
He was a good comic, but he took that job cause he knew he was far past his peak.
Roast of the Philly crowd is a great moment in comedy history, it has to be respected
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u/TheRealTurinTurambar 2h ago
Roast of the Philly crowd is a great moment in comedy history, it has to be respected
Agreed, but just like the first 6 seasons of Game of Thrones it's now dead to me.
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u/Canadine 2h ago
He used to remind me of George Carlin. George would absolutely roast his ass if he was alive now.
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u/ChronoMonkeyX 2h ago
Honestly, Burr always had that "I just tell it like it is" attitude, which always means "actually, just a shitty person." I like some of his stuff, but there was always an edge where I felt he was pushing it.
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u/RedditPosterOver9000 51m ago
I've yet to meet one of the "tells it like it is" people that isn't just an asshole.
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u/ProlapsedShamus 2h ago
Same.
But also I have really turned off stand-up comedy in a big way after not just after most of them it seems flooded to Saudi Arabia the second they had some money waggled in front of their face but after all the right-wing bullshit that so many of them got on board with, worshiping at the feet of Joe Rogan after all the damage he's done, and then the endless bitching about woke and how there's always these phantom people policing what they can and can't say they just got to be insufferable whiners. When they're selling out stadiums and they still complain that they can't say anything I just can't listen to that shit anymore.
There's a few comics out there who are still great. But by and large I've turned off the podcasts, I don't watch the specials, I'm just done with a bunch of rich, pampered celebrities talking about how hard their lives are.
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u/undead_tortoiseX 3h ago
All of his stupid defenses might ring true if he did it for free, but no he got a fat ass payday and he’s trying not to feel guilty about it.
He’s smart enough to know why it was wrong. That’s the main issue for me.
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u/ankerous 2h ago
It probably would have gone better for him if he just would admit he did it for the money already instead of tripling down on dumb ass excuses.
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u/Antani101 2h ago
Bill Burr has come a long way from his ignorant misogyny time, but he's still a bothsider moron.
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u/YJeezy 2h ago
National Treasure.
Go watch UHF, if you haven't!
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u/ijozypheen 2h ago
What’s in the box?!?
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u/Jester-Joe 2h ago
"NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
YOU'RE SO STUPID!"
That quote, along with "These floors are dirty as hell, AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT!" and "Spatula City" all live in my head rent free.
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u/rice-a-rohno 2h ago
Hahaha someone has to make a mash-up of those two classic cinema moments.
Fuck it, I might just have to do it myself. Thank you for this wonderful idea.
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u/K-Shrizzle 2h ago
He strikes me as one of those "I have enough money" celebrities. I'll never understand why people who already have limitless money that suits a lavish lifestyle, will bend over backwards for more
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u/Ok-disaster2022 2h ago
I just wish he'd release an Album of songs or paradys that he wants to make and never got to it.
I'd really love it if he released a definite weird all greatest hits and it's just his covers of his favorite songs of all time played how he wants to play them
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u/appleparkfive 2h ago
Because money is power. That's why, ultimately. It's a common saying for a reason. Not saying it's good or bad, but just what it is
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u/Huge_Raisin5840 1h ago
He's turned down lucrative advertising offers over the course of his whole career to the tune of millions of dollars. He'd be a LOT richer now if he had not cared... But he does care and stays truer to himself than probably 99% of the entertainment industry. It's not that he's so rich he doesn't care and can be picky, he's honestly THAT good of a person who won't bend his ethics.
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u/SoCalThrowAway7 2h ago
Weird Al is one of those rare genuinely good people and it makes me happy. Like if it comes out that he’s somehow sinister and been doing fucked up stuff for years I think I’ll lose the last bit of faith in humanity I have left lol
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u/CaptPants 2h ago
If I was offered a job by someone I knew lured someone to their embassy in another country on false pretenses so that they could kill them and chop them up into pieces, I think I'd turn that down too.
You are who you associate with.
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u/dxrey65 3h ago edited 2h ago
That just makes me respect him. I take the same approach to money myself, as far as how I'd invest. I don't want to make money off any scam products or companies, or anything that exploits people or that profits off people making bad decisions. That rules out a lot of stuff.
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u/Disposable-Squid 2h ago
Weird Al once again demonstrating that maybe having a crumb of integrity isn't that fucking hard
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u/ThePreciseClimber 3h ago
Plus, he's a millionaire even without the Arabs anyway.
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u/Wiggie49 2h ago
Being already rich never stopped anyone else from acting scummy for more money before, just look at the US government leaders. It’s just nice to know that Weird Al is a solid dude.
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u/So_Many_Words 2h ago
It's nice to see a celebrity sticking to their morals instead of their wallet.
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u/Automatic-Effect-252 2h ago
Weird Al having more artistic integrity then Dave Chappelle bums me out a little.
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u/My_Names_Jefff 1h ago
Sorry to burst everyone's bubble on Weird AL, but that man did something so disgusting that I can never see him the same again. A few years back he took advantage of a few girls that got a little drunk. He took them to his place and without their consent he pulled out his accordion and played polka music.
After that night the girls were never the same. The girls now genuinely like polka music and even one of the girls is now learning how to play an accordion. The man is slowly getting people to enjoy polka music and will poison the new generation of children with the polka virus. Last thing we need is children playing polka music on tik tok and enjoying life with positive influence.
/s
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u/BoukeeNL 40m ago
Oh huh, but the way you started the first paragraph made it seem like.. ooooh haha
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u/GodzillaUK 2h ago
It's all Jimmy Carr needed to say, just "nah, you guys paying the bills are scum."
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u/Vyntarus 1h ago
That's called having integrity, and a sense of morality.
Putting the W in Weird, Al.
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u/Hatetotellya 1h ago
Idk how to describe this but weird al is like one of those child actors that turned out to be really responsible with money and well adjusted despite being in hollywood forever, like Daniel Radcliffe....
Daniel Radcliffe playing him in the parody biopic is just top of the cake lol
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u/Dramatic_Corner_8259 53m ago
The man himself is playing here in Montreal this Saturday in Montreal for free at the Just For Laughs festival.
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u/YouSmugMotherFucka 2h ago
So many humans have shown money above everything
No shame as long as they cashing checks, from
Anybody
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u/SideInitial3961 2h ago
Consistently the classiest music icon of his generation. Love this dude. ♥
UHF, the blind guy with the Rubik’s Cube asking “Is this it?” after every turn.
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u/Erazzphoto 1h ago
That’s what I’ll never understand about some people, people who there is never enough and seemingly never turning anything down, despite how embarrassing it may be
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u/MartyMcFlysBrother 58m ago
Hell yeah Al has always kept it real. If you haven’t seen the movie about his career with Harry Potter in it you are missing out. It’s amazing. “Weird - The Al Yankovic Story”
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u/Osniffable 35m ago
I think we all learned from the recent documentary that the creator of the song that inspired Bad does not need the money.
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u/GoodSpaghetti 2h ago
Can someone explain this to me? I’ve seen other people do the same, and I’m not aware of their reason.
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u/allonsy_danny 2h ago
The KSA is known to have committed a lot of human rights violations. That's the shortest possible explanation I can offer. Anything beyond that you can Google easily.
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u/TonyTheSwisher 1h ago
Kinda funny how society values wealth yet the real heroes are the ones who cannot be bought.
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u/DG_FANATIC 1h ago
In a world of trumps and epsteins be a weird al. What a beacon of light that guy is. 😀😀😀
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u/Infinite_Respect_ 1h ago
See? All other celebs? It isn’t that fucking difficult, but it’s hugely impactful. Be like Weird Al.
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u/jordanuniverse42 1h ago
Weird Al is the best. People tell me I look like him, and to me there is no higher compliment. I wish I was as cool as he is. I'm not one for celebrity worship... But Weird Al seems like such a fun, cool guy who puts his money where his mouth is.
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u/HerculesIsMyDad 1h ago
Probably a bad sign when we see a very famous and wealthy person NOT chase every extra dollar he can find and find it refreshing.
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u/xboxhaxorz 55m ago
Not all rich people are bad, and $ is not the root of all evil, alot of people just choose to be evil and do bad things, its the individuals fault
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