Cardi B praises life in Saudi Arabia for cleanliness and lack of homelessness, unlike 'ghetto' America

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Cardi B praises life in Saudi Arabia for cleanliness and lack of homelessness, unlike 'ghetto' America

Rapper says she hasn't seen homeless people in Middle Eastern nation, unlike 'ghetto' and 'dusty' America

Alexander Hall Fox News

Published

December 18, 2025 7:00pm EST

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Jimmy Kimmel grills Aziz Ansari over performing at Riyadh comedy festival under 'brutal' Saudi Arabian regime

Liberal talk show host Jimmy Kimmel questioned comedian Aziz Ansari about performing at a comedy festival in Saudi Arabia under an infamously authoritarian regime.

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Rapper Cardi B praised life in Saudi Arabia, saying it is much "cleaner," albeit more authoritarian in the Middle Eastern country.

Cardi B was the latest of many famous American performers to entertain audiences overseas in Saudi Arabia, a choice many celebrities took heat for earlier this year.

"I’m in Saudi Arabia and, so far, let me tell y’all about my experience. It’s very strict out here. They will put you under the jail," she said while staying in the country. "They ain’t playing around. Yeah, you will go to prison. Yeah, yeah, mess around and you’ll find out. However, it is very easy to follow the rules here. Like, the rules are very simple."

Cardi B noted numerous times that Saudi Arabia is bright and clean. She noted that she was initially hesitant to visit the country because of "restrictions on like women and gays and everything," but said the country has opened up more since then.

JIMMY KIMMEL GRILLS AZIZ ANSARI FOR PERFORMING AT RIYADH COMEDY FESTIVAL UNDER 'BRUTAL REGIME'

Cardi B praised Saudi Arabia for its cleanliness and lack of homelessness, contrasting it with what she called "ghetto America." ( Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

While Saudi Arabia has made certain reforms, like allowing women to drive starting in 2018, it still maintains certain rules, such as forbidding people from openly wearing crucifixes. The Saudi government also continues to face international criticism over the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The rapper said she views America as a nation in decline.

"I’m starting not to like America. America makes me pay taxes. The Vice President is talking s--- about me on Twitter. I don’t feel real appreciated in America. Y’all need to convince me to come back," she said. "Why would I? Look at this country, look how they treat me."

"It’s ghetto over there," she said of America.

When the time of the stream reached 11:11pm, she appeared as if she were about to do the sign of the cross and make a wish, before she stopped herself. "I don't even want to do the… you know what I'm saying? It's illegal over here, honey. You can only believe in Allah over here."

"Can't wear no crosses or nothing," she said of the country. "They don't be playing over here. But you know what I'm saying? Like, it's like you just got to have respect. That's the thing. Americans don't be respecting other people's stuff."

BILL BURR BLASTS CRITICS OF SAUDI ARABIA COMEDY FESTIVAL VISIT IN EXPLETIVE-LADEN INTERVIEW

A sign showcasing the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia

Major celebrities performed at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, sparking a massive controversy earlier this year. The star-studded event, backed by a Saudi government body, has driven a wedge through the stand-up scene, as comics who staunchly defend free speech in the West are accused of hypocrisy. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images)

She went on to say that America has declined both in common manners and cleanliness, particularly when it comes to allowing homelessness in public spaces.

"America just got no courtesy. We ghetto. We just dusty. I'm sorry to say," she said. "And I'm an American myself, honey, but God damn. And this country is so clean. I haven't even seen a bum. I don't think there's bums here."

Fox News Digital reached out to representatives of Cardi B for comment.

Later, she posted a video captioned, "Coming back to America from Saudi Arabia and realizing this what I’m coming home to," with her looking distressed as there was audio of loudly crying babies and a woman speaking in a foreign language.

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Many of America's cities have faced a crisis of homelessness that spiked after the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Alexander.hall@fox.com.

Cardi B praises life in Saudi Arabia for cleanliness and lack of homelessness, unlike 'ghetto' America