A man attacked comedian Dave Chappelle on stage at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.
According to reports, an unidentified man jumped on stage, rushed and tackled Chappelle, and then attempted to flee.
According to reports, the man was then subdued and surrounded by security at the back of the stage. Despite organizers holding festival attendees’ phones for the duration of the performances, social media videos and photos of the attack have been posted.
Attendees claim that shortly after the attack, fellow comedian Chris Rock took the stage with Chappelle and remarked, “Was that Will Smith?” The joke was in response to Rock being slapped by Will Smith at this year’s Academy Awards after making a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
On Tuesday evening, several event attendees shared videos of the incident, which appeared to show Chappelle on stage performing when a man to his right rushes at him, attempting to tackle him. After that, the man is seen being dragged away by security.
In the video, Chappelle regains his composure and jokes, “It was a trans man,” a reference to the ongoing controversy over some of the comedian’s jokes in his Netflix specials that have been interpreted as transphobic.
Later, in a video of the curtain call, Chappelle discussed the incident in greater detail and thanked actor and comedian Jamie Foxx. “Whenever you’re in trouble, Jamie Foxx in a sheriff’s hat will show up,” Chappelle said.
“N——, I thought that was a joke, I had no idea what the fuck…” In response, Foxx cracks a joke.
“I grabbed the back of that n—— head,” Chappelle continues. His hair was greasy and spongy. Absorbent”
Foxx then takes a few moments to speak to the audience and Chappelle. “Listen, I just want to say that this man is a genius.” “We have to make sure he’s safe at all times,” Foxx said.
Chappelle was performing at the Netflix Is A Joke Fest, a comedy festival held in Los Angeles by the streaming giant Netflix.
The attack on Chappelle is likely to reignite fears among comedians that audience members will rush the stage and attack them. Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars last month, bringing attention to the issue.