Killing Fields Laugh Riot: The Event In Photos

By Sokha Vann |  SE Asian Bureau Chief, HFP Int'l.

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA — In what promoters are calling “a night of reflection and very poor judgement,” comedians Bill Burr, Louis C.K., and Dave Chappelle performed headline gigs at a commemorative gala marking what would have been the 100th birthday of late, blood-thirsty, Cambodian dictator Pol Pot.

In a move equal parts baffling and brave, the internationally renowned comedians all agreed to attend the first-ever Pol Pot 100 Gala, a surreal centennial celebration billed as “Comedy for the Collective: A Laugh-Riot on the Killing Fields!”  The event, held under a humid Cambodian sky and a banner reading “Live from Phnom Penh,” drew a crowd that included Buddhist monks, bewildered backpackers, menacing gunmen in ragged hand-me-down uniforms, a handful of suspicious diplomats who claimed to be “just here for the spring rolls", and at least one American travel blogger who insisted on live-streaming this massacre of punchlines.
 

The event is said to be sponsored by a little-known group calling itself the Khmer Rouge Heritage Society, which claims no relation to the original organization “except ideologically and for catering discounts.”

“It’s a celebration of free speech, cultural misunderstanding, and buffet-style seating, with an open bar” said an unnamed organizer, speaking from an undisclosed bunker near the Lao border.

The open-air venue, strung with red paper lanterns and hand-scrawled memories of the deceased, resembled a cross between a political rally and a poorly planned TED Talk. Rows of monks sat in white plastic chairs facing the stage, their serene faces illuminated by floodlights as the comedians stepped forward to test the limits of cross-cultural communication — and basic decency.

All three headliners have faced heavy criticism for their recent appearances in Saudi Arabia, where their performances sparked international debate about artistic integrity and moral compromise. Yet the trio brushed off the backlash, with Burr's wife, on a conference call from their luxury hotel suite, telling reporters that “the money’s really, really good, and its getting so nobody in the Western world wants to pay him these days, anyway.”

Louis C.K., red-faced and sweating, opened with five minutes on the absurdity of communism, airline peanuts, and reincarnation. The monks did not laugh, though one nodded politely — possibly at the mention of karma.

Bill Burr went on second, and was probably the most successful act of the evening despite having no material anyone in the room could relate to. The comic really thought he would kill but instead he bombed. Both of these made him popular with his hosts.

By the final act, Dave Chapelle abandoned material entirely and simply said, “You guys ever notice authoritarian regimes never have open mic nights?” It received the night’s largest reaction: one audible gasp, two chuckles, and an awkward burst of applause from a nervous tourist. Luckily no shots were fired and the comic went back to behaving as he'd been told.

Just as the crowd began to settle, chaos briefly erupted when Pete Davidson and Aziz Ansari arrived unannounced, attempting to push their way through security and onto the stage. Witnesses say Davidson carried a vape and a duffel bag marked “Netflix Special,” while Ansari shouted, “We were told this was a cultural exchange!”

Event organizers quickly intervened, reminding the pair that they had not been invited and that any further disturbance would result in immediate placement in a Cambodian prison. Despite repeated pleas from the US Consulate, Davidson and Ansari were released unharmed.

Asked for comment, a representative for Chappelle said only that “at first he thought it was a pot festival.  Of course we figured out it was for Pol Pot and immediately demanded more cash.” 

Burr allegedly agreed to perform after learning the crowd would have no women because they were busy tending to the mules and rice paddies. Adding, "Im fully aware of the atrocities commited by this guy, but the money is so good." 

While Louis C.K. called it "a chance to go somewhere — comedically and physically — where they don’t know I’m a creep yet."

Cambodian officials deny involvement but confirmed that several travel visas have been issued under the mysterious booking agency ‘Rogue Rouge Entertainment.’

Event organizers insisted the standing ovation that was ordered at the end, proved the night was a great success, noting "I can't remember the last time I saw so many stand in unison where it didn't end with them all in a pit."

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 Editor’s Note: Rogue Rouge Entertainment could not be reached for comment; however, its website now lists “Comedy for the Collective 2: Electric Gulag” as “coming soon.”

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BoardWalk Barker is a satirical publication. The stories and quotes herein are works of humor and parody.