Controversial comedian Dave Chappelle has had a long and extremely successful career. Chappelle first rose to fame through his stand-up comedy routines and film appearances, eventually becoming creator and star of themega hitChappelle’s Showon Comedy Central. Chappelle departed fromChappelle’s Showin a highly public fashion, then disappeared from the entertainment industry for a number of years. Since then Chappelle has made a comeback, releasing new stand-up comedy specials throughNetflix, though some of the material in said specials have found him in hot water.
The latest incident involving Chappelle occurred on Tuesday, May 3 while he was performing at the Hollywood Bowl as part of theNetflix is a Joke Festevent. Near the end of Chappelle’s performance, 23-year-old Isaiah Lee rushed on stage and tackled the comedian. According to a report by NBC News Los Angeles, the attacker was armed with a replica gun that can “eject a knife blade.” Lee is being charged with felony count of assault with a deadly weapon. Video of the incident has been widely shared online, and some who were there have provided context for what happened in the immediate aftermath.
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After Lee was taken away,Dave Chappellejoked that he was attacked by a “trans man.” This is in reference to Chappelle’s controversial stand-up routines that have criticized the transgender community. It’s unclear if these jokes are what inspired Lee’s attack on Chappelle, as no motive has been provided at the time of this writing. Video footage shared online seems to show Lee being subdued and beaten by a group of unknown assailants, and another video shows Lee being taken away in ambulance with his arm bent at an awkward angle. The videos are embedded here, but please note that they include footage some may consider graphic or disturbing.
Journalist Stephanie Wash tweeted that Chappelle wasn’t the only one to make a joke about the incident. According to Walsh, Chris Rock appeared on stage later and joked, “Was that Will Smith?“Rock was infamously slapped in the face by Will Smithat the Oscars on March 27 after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Footage showed Will laughing at the joke at first, only to then storm the stage and slap Rock.
Will Smith slapping Chris Rock led todisciplinary action from the Academy, as he will not be able to attend the Oscars or related events for at least 10 years. Chris Rock ultimately chose not to press charges against Smith, but that doesn’t appear to be the case with the Chappelle incident. There was some worry that Will Smith slapping Chris Rock could encourage others to do the same to comedians, but it should again be stressed that no motive has been revealed thus far.
