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On Tuesday night, May 3, comedian Dave Chappelle was attacked by an audience member during his performance in Los Angeles. The individual reportedly rushed onto the stage and physically attacked the 48-year-old stand-up comedian.
The incident occurred during Chappelle's encore performance in the 'Netflix Is A Joke Fest' event at the Hollywood Bowl. Following the attack, several videos were posted online that showcased how Chappelle was tackled and he fell on the stage.
Later, the Half Baked (1998) star joked that the attacker was a transgender man. The statement was a callback to earlier in the event when Chappelle expressed that he felt attacked by transgender people over his Netflix special. The controversy had surfaced last October.
Dave Chappelle's attacker - what happened to him?
As per reports, the attack happened after Chappelle was done with his comedy set and was on stage for an encore performance to promote his new podcast. At the time, the assailant ran up on stage to attack him. The comedian's security team then detained the attacker and took him off-stage.
On Wednesday, multiple publications reported that the assailant was identified as Los Angeles native Isaiah Lee. As per Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) records, Lee was detained with a $30,000 bail. He was taken to the hospital later to get treated for his injuries. The 23-year-old was found to be a resident of a homeless shelter in Los Angeles.
According to a few videos seemingly shot by the audience, Chappelle's security team beat and stomped upon the assailant before taking him taken off-stage. The individual was later escorted out of the event on a stretcher and appeared to have broken his hand. He also had injuries on his face and other areas.
A day later, the LAPD told NBC that the individual was armed with a "replica gun." However, the weapon also had an ejectable blade, which could have been used to hurt Dave Chappelle. They also stated that it is unclear whether the individual intended to harm the comedian on stage. Following the incident, a clip of the attack's aftermath showcased how Chappelle's security team beat the individual mercilessly backstage as the comedian continued to address the audience.
Dave Chappelle joked about the attack on-stage
Dave Chappelle joked about the incident and insinuated that the assailant was a trans man. He then went off-stage and said upon his return:
"I've been doing this (for) 35 years. I just stomped a ni*** backstage — always wanted to do that."
Later, comedian Chris Rock took to the stage and joked about it with the audience. Referencing Will Smith's slap at the Academy Awards 2022, Rock said:
"Was that Will Smith?"
During the incident, actor Jamie Foxx also rushed to the stage with Chappelle's security team to help the comedian. Chappelle publicly thanked the actor for offering to help later.
