In the wake of Hollywood A-lister Will Smith marching onstage during the Academy Awards and slapping the piss out of presenter Chris Rock over a joke about his wife, comedians across the country expressed worry that it could embolden others to do the same.
On Tuesday night, during Dave Chappelle’s stand-up comedy performance at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl, a man rushed onstage and tackled the comic mid-performance before being subdued—and stomped down—by a number of security guards and Chappelle’s entourage, which included the actor Jamie Foxx. Then Chappelle, seemingly OK, continued on with the show, reportedly joking that the assailant “was a trans man”—a nod to his 2021 Netflix stand-up special The Closer, which received widespread condemnation among the LGBTQ+ community and their allies over its transphobic material.
The man was identified as Isaiah Lee, 23, who lives in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department told The Daily Beast that he was arrested and charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon. (The gun was later determined to be a replica.) Lee was taken to the hospital before he was booked early Wednesday into jail on $30,000 bail, authorities said.
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It’s unclear what provoked the attack.
Chappelle, 48, was performing a set as part of Netflix’s inaugural comedy festival, Netflix Is A Joke Fest. Earlier in the set, he discussed how he had to increase his security personnel in the wake of the Netflix controversy. The attacker, who appeared severely injured, was then captured on video being loaded on a gurney and taken to the hospital.
“Los Angeles police confirmed to Eyewitness News that they responded to an incident at the Hollywood Bowl around 10:45 p.m. and a man who was reportedly armed with a gun and a knife was taken into custody,” reported Los Angeles’s KABC News.
After the melee, Chappelle brought opener Chris Rock out onstage, who joked “it was Will Smith.” Chappelle also brought out Foxx for a standing ovation, and then announced: “I’ve been doing this for 35 years. I just stomped a n----- backstage. I’ve always wanted to do that.”
Last fall, Netflix employees staged a walkout in protest of Chappelle’s The Closer, which contained a number of transphobic jokes. A number of Netflix employees also resigned over the special, including senior software engineer Terra Field and editorial and publishing manager Oliver Whitney, both of whom are trans.
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