Around 10:45 p.m. PT Los Angeles police responded to an incident involving a man allegedly attacking comedian Dave Chappelle (The Closer, Chappelle’s Show) at the Netflix Is A Joke Festival, according to ABC7 Eyewitness News. Reporting details the alleged assailant tackled Chappelle on stage during his comedy set at the Hollywood Bowl. The two men tussled before the man went to flee backstage. Chappelle appeared to be unharmed. Video of the incident can be viewed below courtesy of ABC7.
Moments later, according to reports, security staff tackled the man near the rear of the stage as Chappelle continued his set. At one point, Chappelle appeared to get closer to the altercation and jokingly stated the man was being “stomped” while requesting he be taken off the stage. As Chappelle is known to confiscate audience members’ phones prior to a show, Deadline reports a lot of footage is scarce. However, some footage of the attack is floating around social media.
According to Deadline, some social posts reference fellow comedian Jamie Foxx (Miami Vice, Project Power), who was in attendance, as being part of the group that subdued the man. Foxx then stated how Chappelle “is an absolute genius” and “we’ve got to protect him at all costs.” Chappelle seemed to take the incident in more stride, later joking “It was a trans man.” in reference to his past comments regarding the trans community. After the ordeal, Chappelle did seem to restore order to the audience by asking for everyone to “compose themselves.”
As the set concluded and attendees exited the show, Deadline reports many captured the alleged assailant’s arrest and subsequent placement in an ambulance on their returned phones. A lot of footage appeared to show the man with an injured arm handcuffed to the gurney as he was being taken away.
This incident ironically comes after the ordeal that occurred with Will Smith (King Richard, Suicide Squad) and Chris Rock (Man of State, Good Hair) at this year’s Oscars. Following that incident, many comedians spoke up fearing Smith’s actions would set off copycats making it unsafe for comedians to do their job. Rock, who was also in attendance, even came on stage and joked “Was that Will Smith?” as the man was being apprehended, according to Newsweek.
Newsweek also reports the man was allegedly armed with a gun and knife, which prompted some on social media to speculate how he was permitted inside the facility at all. One social media post alleges a throughline connecting LiveNation, which manages event bookings at the Hollywood Bowl, and the security detail they utilize. It is the same security group that was hired at the now infamous Travis Scott AstroWorld show last summer in which several attendees were hurt and many fatally injured.
The Netflix Is A Joke Festival is set to run from April 28 to May 8.