Amy Poehler Criticized for Having Aziz Ansari on Her Podcast After He's Accused of Accepting 'Blood Money' to Perform in Saudi Arabia

Amy Poehler left fans divided when she revealed Parks and Recreation costar Aziz Ansari would be the guest on the Wednesday, October 15, episode of her "Good Hang" podcast.

Poehler was criticized since the actor was one of several who got paid to perform at Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Comedy Festival. Stars who participated in the event, which went from September 26 to October 9, were slammed due to the country's controversial human rights record and censorship issues.

When the mom-of-two shared a photo of herself with Ansari in the studio, one person commented on the Instagram upload, "I would be excited about this, but the Saudi blood money will make me not listen to this on principle."

"Hard pass. Aziz and his blood money can kick rocks," echoed a second social media user, with a third noting, "I'll skip this episode, thanks."

"Love her podcast, but I will be skipping this one #riyadhcomedyfestival," a fourth message read.

The Master of None star spoke out about his decision and revealed his plan to donate some of the money he was receiving to "causes that support free press and human rights," such as Human Rights Watch.

"A comedy festival felt like something that’s pushing things to be more open and to push a dialogue. You kind of have to make a choice of whether you’re going to isolate or engage," he explained in an interview. "For me, especially being me and looking the way I do and being from a Muslim background, it felt like something I should be a part of."

However, a spokesperson for HRW told an outlet they would not accept donations from Ansari or any other stars who chose to perform.

"While we cannot accept, it is not too late for them to call for the release of detained Saudi activists," expressed Joey Shea, a researcher at HRW. "Human Rights Watch didn’t call for comedians to boycott the Riyadh Comedy Festival, but simply asked them to express their support for free speech by urging the release of Saudi activists unjustly imprisoned."

Ansari was far from the only one who participated in the festival, as other acts included Dave Chappelle, Pete Davidson, Kevin Hart and Whitney Cummings. At the same time, there were some comedians, such as Shane Gillis and Mike Birbiglia, who declined the invite.

Ansari previously came under fire in 2018 when a woman accused him of sexual misconduct. The woman in question revealed that after their encounter, she texted the star and told him she was uncomfortable with what happened, and he apologized.

Ansari said he believed things were "completely consensual," and the ordeal caused divide as to whether it constituted misconduct, with some calling it a "gray area."