Why Was Dave Chappelle Attacked on Stage? Social Media Wants Answers
Published May 4 2022, 12:47 p.m. ET
Is getting attacked on stage becoming the norm? After Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards, being assaulted on stage seems to be getting increasingly common. On May 3, 2022, Dave Chappelle became the latest comedian to be attacked on stage.
Though he's been known to ruffle feathers, Dave Chappelle is considered one of the funniest comedians of our time. Now, reports share that the 48-year-old was attacked during his May 3 set at the Hollywood Bowl. Why was Dave Chappelle attacked? Here’s everything that we know.
Why was Dave Chappelle attacked at the Hollywood Bowl?
According to TMZ, 23-year-old Isaiah Lee has been taken into custody for assaulting Dave Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl — where the comedian was performing for the Netflix Is a Joke festival — on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. As of this writing, there is no clear reason behind why the unprovoked man decided to jump on stage and assault Chappelle.
Lee reportedly pulled out a gun, which was later confirmed to be a replica of a semi-automatic that had a knife attached to it. Thankfully, Chappelle was not injured during the attack.
After attacking the stand-up comedian, Lee ran behind a screen on stage and security subdued him.
ABC News reveals that Chappelle appeared to run over to the altercation while security restrained Lee, claiming that the suspect was being “stomped.” Sources tell TMZ that many people, including Busta Rhymes and Jamie Foxx, proceeded to attack Lee.
Footage captured by ABC News shows Lee being loaded into an ambulance on a gurney.
Chappelle went on with the show and even joked about the incident.
"I don't know if that was part of the show,” he said. “I grabbed the back of that [n-word] head, his hair was spongy, absorbent."
Chris Rock, one of Chappelle's special guests, also joked about the incident on stage.
“Was that Will Smith?” the Head of State star asked.
According to TMZ, Lee is currently facing a charge of assault with a deadly weapon and is being held on $30,000 bail.
Dave Chappelle has not made a statement following the attack.
Despite the news of Dave’s attack making the rounds, the comedian has not yet issued a comment on the matter.