Dave Chappelle is one of America’s most popular comedians, not just for his funny shows but also for the scandals that occasionally surround him. The actor was recently assaulted by an armed guy during a Netflix event, which stunned the crowd to say the least. Chris Rock, who has before been the target of such an attack, decided to take a subtle joke at his assailant Will Smith. Dave Chappelle did not allow the incident hinder his performance, returning to the stage virtually unfazed, and was joined on stage by fellow comic Chris Rock.
Since comedian Chris Rock was attacked on the Oscars 2022 stage, there has been a growing debate about intolerance towards comedians. He was a presenter at the famous event when he made a joke about Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from Alopecia. Will walked over to Chris and smacked him across the face, telling him to keep his wife’s name ‘out of his f*cking mouth.’
The event sparked a national debate about artistic freedom and intolerance, and it appears that the public recently saw another version of it at the Netflix Is A Joke festival. According to TMZ, a man purportedly carrying a fake pistol and a pointed item assaulted Dave Chappelle on the stage of the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles while he was doing his show.
“Chris was not onstage when the incident occurred,” according to a source, but was returning to the stage for a post-event picture session amid the aftermath. “Once he understood what was up, he instantly rushed over to check on Chapelle,” the insider told ET, “and then delivered the Will Smith joke without missing a beat.” Rock was removed offstage soon after the altercation, according to the source, and did not attend the after-party. Chappelle claimed onstage after the incident, “I’ve been doing this for 35 years and recently stomped on a n***a backstage. That’s something I’ve always wanted to accomplish.”