Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage by a fan who tackled him down to the ground in front of a shocked audience during a Netflix show in Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday night. There are also reports that the man had a gun and a knife but that hasn't been confirmed yet. A video of the incident shows a man charging on the stage before lunging on the comedian.
However, Chris Rock, who performed later at the event, made the incident look light and jokingly said, "Was that Will Smith?' given that he was subject to a similar attack by the actor at the Oscars in March.
Shocking Attack
Chappelle, 48, was performing on stage around 10:45 pm when he was attacked by a man from the audience. Video from Tuesday night's 'Netflix Is A Joke' event shows the man charging onstage and lunging on Chappelle before getting to his feet and fleeing offstage, evading the panicked and shocked security.
In the video, Chappelle is seen standing back again once the attacker flees the stage. However, he seemed to have suffered minor injuries after he was knocked to the ground.
Security tackled the attacker on the ground seconds later. The attacker was arrested and brought to a local hospital for minor injuries, according to the LAPD.
Jamie Foxx, who was watching the show from the Hollywood Bowl's wing wearing a sheriff's helmet, rushed to assist in apprehending the attacker, who was then reportedly punched and kicked by Chappelle's security once arrested.
According to conflicting reports, the suspect was armed with a gun and a knife, but LAPD hasn't confirmed it yet.
Chappelle, who caused anger in the trans community last year with inflammatory comments in a Netflix show, continued his show despite seeming in pain. "It was a trans man," he said, adding, "I am going to kill that n****."
Chappelle also thanked Fox for coming to help. "Whenever you're in trouble, Jamie Foxx will show up in a sheriff's hat," Chappelle said.
Foxx reportedly said: "I thought that was part of the show."
Revenge Attack
It is not known if it was an attack out of disgust given that Chappelle had earlier in 2021 mocked trans people and joked about them. He came under fire for making derogatory comments about trans women's genitals.
He also previously said that "gender is a fact".
Along with rapper DaBaby, Chappelle backed Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who has made numerous contentious remarks about trans people, and claimed she shouldn't be "canceled."
However, Tuesday's drama didn't end there.
Comedy guest Chris Rock stepped on stage moments after the unprovoked attack and hugged Chappelle before asking, "Was that Will Smith?" Rock was similarly subjected to a violent outburst on stage at the Oscars in March, when Weill Smith slapped him for joking about Jada Pinkett Smith's bald head.
Following the show, Chappelle tried to joke about the incident and said, "I don't know if that was part of the show. I grabbed the back of that n–s head, his hair was spongy, absorbent."
In one Twitter video, the suspect is seen laying on a stretcher with his elbow facing the other way.
The venue stated on its website that the concert, which was named Dave Chappelle and Friends, would be a "phone-free experience," and that attendees would be required to place their phones in pouches.
After the attack, Jimmy Carr shared a selfie taken with the fellow comedian and described his Los Angeles show as "crazy." "The Hollywood Bowl show with the legendary Dave Chappelle was crazy. Just happy everyone's ok," he tweeted.
