Pete Davidson defends performing in Saudi Arabia after dad died in 9/11 attacks

After coming under fire for his recent performance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia, Pete Davidson has spoken out.

The 31-year-old funnyman joined a horde of huge-name stars - including Dave Chappelle, Jimmy Carr, Kevin Hart and Whitney Cummings - in the country's capital between 26 September and 6 October.

As well as Saudi Arabia's controversial anti-LGBTQ laws, use of both judicial corporal punishment and the death penalty, and censorship of western media, critics of Davidson have questioned his reason for attending the gig for another reason.

By the Saturday Night Live star's own admission, he has supposedly faced criticism centring on the fact that his own father, New York firefighter Scott Davidson, died during the September 11 2001 attacks.

For reference, 15 of the 19 hijackers who flew four American Airlines planes into US landmarks, including the two World Trade Centre buildings, were Saudi nationals.

Scott Davidson was killed during the 9/11 attacks (Instagram/@petedavidson)

It's important to note, however, that Saudi officials have ceaselessly denied involvement in the horrific terror attack.

Addressing his involvement with the Middle Eastern festivities last week during a conversation with podcast host Theo Von, however, Davidson defended his position, referencing his hefty paycheck.

The presenter began the discussion, pointing out to Davidson: "There's a lot of people that say people are getting paid by this Middle Eastern money right, you know, and that they can say this, or they can't say that or that they are over there, they're going to try to influence you guys in order to speak certain ways."

Von then asked him: "Are you part of that conspiracy theory or is that nothing you're on?"

Pete Davidson came under fire from critics for performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia (FilmMagic/FilmMagic)

Responding, Davidson then admitted: "I've heard there's subreddits of like, 'I think all these people are in bed with that'. I just, you know, I get the routing, and then I see the number, and I go, 'I’ll go'."

He continued: "I've been getting a little bit of flak just because my dad died (in) 9/11. So they’re like, 'How could you possibly go there?'."

Amongst those to have publicly referenced Saudi Arabia's association with the September 11 attacks is comedian and actor David Cross, who claimed he is 'disgusted and deeply disappointed in this whole gross thing'.

Cross also condemned his fellow comics for their involvement in 'a totalitarian fiefdom' for … what, a fourth house? A boat? More sneakers?'.

Davidson defended his performance in Saudi Arabia (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Comedian Shane Gillis also went on to reveal he'd been offered a 'significant' amount to perform in Riyadh, but turned it down due to the country's terror-related history.

"I took a principled stand," Gillis said. "You don't 9/11 your friends."

Davidson isn't the only comedian to come under fire for his involvement in the festival, with Human Rights Watch also accusing organisers in general of using the event to 'deflect attention from its brutal repression of free speech and other pervasive human rights violations' in Saudi.