American comedian Bill Burr, 57, returned to Abu Dhabi on Saturday night, focusing his ire on his country’s ongoing anti-immigration rhetoric.
Performing at Etihad Arena for the second time – following his 2023 set at the same venue – the comedian took aim at what he called the “racism” and “hypocrisy” embedded in American discourse.
“Every four years, the billionaires in my country figure out how to blame immigrants,” Burr said. “You lose your job, your farm, or you can’t buy a house and they tell you it’s because some guy floated in on a mattress from Cuba.
“We always believe it because it’s a white guy telling it to us. And we think, ‘Oh, white guy – I’m a white guy – same skin, same team'. But it’s not the same team. Not the same team at all.”
Burr then turned to America’s colonialist legacy, to loud cheers from audience during the ongoing Abu Dhabi Comedy Season.
“Racist white people love to say, ‘I don’t have a problem with immigrants – as long as they come here the right way'. Oh yeah? Did we? Those immigrants should leave and come back in wooden ships – and bring some Covid-laced blankets.”
Referencing the administration of Donald Trump, Burr admitted he didn’t fully understand “what’s going on with the leadership of my country right now”, before pivoting to former member of the administration: Elon Musk.
Burr, calling Musk “an immigrant”, questioned why the billionaire’s controversial gesture during this year’s inauguration – which some interpreted as a “Roman salute” – drew so little backlash.
“There was a moment in America where if you did a Caitlyn Jenner joke, you were taking your career into your hands,” Burr said. “Then five years later, this guy – this nerd – salutes not once, but twice. Once to the front, once to the back. People tried to play it off like it was something else and he didn’t get in trouble. What is happening?”
From there, Burr widened his focus to systemic racism and historical erasure, pointing to how the achievements of ancient Egypt are still questioned in Western discourse.
“White people can’t accept that someone could do something they couldn’t,” he said. “If the pyramids had happened in Italy, they wouldn’t be confused. They wouldn’t say, ‘Today we’re going to try to figure out who built the Roman Colosseum. Was it... mermaids?’”
Burr's focus has grown increasingly global in recent years. While he didn't touch on the subject during his set, Burr has been vocal about the Israel-Gaza war in recent months, telling Variety: "We need to come up with a way to solve our differences without dropping bombs on children. I don’t think anybody would have a problem with that. The great thing about travel, if you travel with your ears open, is you see way more similarities than differences."
Earlier in the night, Burr tore into reports of Jeff Bezos’s $38 million wedding to Lauren Sanchez – a recurring topic throughout the set.
“That guy is in so over his head,” Burr said. “He spent $38 million to get married. Dude, you could have gone to Vegas and got that for 69 bucks. You’re giving a starter relationship $38 million? That’s because he’s a nerd. Never had a girlfriend. He didn’t play sports. He was in his apartment playing on computers. He’s not an idiot – he’s just inexperienced.”
Burr returned to the subject repeatedly. “What’s he going to get her for her birthday?” he asked. “He rented a whole city. All of Venice! How did she even ask for that?
“He probably wanted a Harry Potter-themed laser tag thing,” Burr added. “And she’s sitting there with her emotions, looking out the window, saying, ‘I was thinking maybe we could have a destination wedding.’ And he’s like, ‘What do you mean? Like Florida?’”
Burr said even one of the world’s richest men will struggle to meet the expectations such a wedding creates. “He’s going to be hanging out with the truck drivers he doesn’t pay enough, on the Amazon loading docks, saying: ‘I can’t make this woman happy.’”
As the set wrapped, Burr hinted at plans to return again – ideally during cooler weather. “I’ll come back in the winter. That’s when my wife will come. She’ll support me on the road – just not in July."
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
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Leaderboard
15 under: Paul Casey (ENG)
-14: Robert MacIntyre (SCO)
-13 Brandon Stone (SA)
-10 Laurie Canter (ENG) , Sergio Garcia (ESP)
-9 Kalle Samooja (FIN)
-8 Thomas Detry (BEL), Justin Harding (SA), Justin Rose (ENG)
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude
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Jetour T1 specs
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
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- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
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Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
