Just when we thought the Will Smith and Chris Rock altercation was coming to an end, it came back to life after a man attacked Dave Chapelle on stage while performing at Hollywood Bowl, a concern that several comedians voiced after the Oscars incident.
The comedian was assaulted during a Netflix comedy festival at Hollywood Bowl and the attacker was charged with felony just immediately. Here’s everything you need to know about the incident.
What happened to Dave Chappelle?
During his performance at Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, a man ran into the stage and tackled Chappelle. One of the few videos available online shows a man running into the stage while security officers race to intervene.
Who is the suspect?
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the man was later identified as Isaiah Lee, 23 and he was armed with a replica gun that could eject a real knife blade.
The suspect has been charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon and according to LAPD, his bail is set at $30,000.
What happened after the altercation?
A report from NBC Los Angeles claims that Lee had superficial injuries left by the altercation and was taken to a hospital, while Chappelle was not injured and returned to the stage minutes after the incident.
Dave Chappelle, who was performing at the “Dave Chappelle and Friends” show, which is part of the Netflix Is a Joke Festival, continued with his act and even got to joke about the altercation.
Video footage shows how Chappelle recovered his composure and joked, “It was a trans man”, as a reference to the ongoing controversy surrounding some of Chappelle’s jokes in his Netflix specials that have been pointed out as transphobic.
Stephanie Wash, a journalist from ABC who was at the show, tweeted that even Chris Rock got to the stage and joked: “Was that Will Smith?”.
Of course, the incident reignites worries amongst the comedy community about attacks on comedians.