There’s always a lot of buzz around Dave Chappelle‘s live shows, but Tuesday night’s performance was more shocking than most. Not because of anything Chappelle did himself, but because he was allegedly attacked by a man who rushed onstage at the Hollywood Bowl, where Chappelle was headlining the Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival.
Attendees were reportedly meant to have their phones confiscated before the show, so there’s very limited footage of what went down. But according to reports from the scene, a person rushed onstage and tackled Chappelle while he was standing at the microphone. The person was then reportedly removed by security, beat up by Chappelle’s entourage, and arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). He was allegedly armed with a replica gun with a blade inside, according to the Guardian.
A couple of reporters happened to be at the show, with BuzzFeed’s Brianna Sacks sharing a video of the alleged attacker being loaded into an ambulance after being “kicked by at least 10 people.”
In a TikTok posted outside the Hollywood Bowl, journalist Sharon Carpenter—another audience member—said the attacker “lunged” at Chappelle, “knocking him to the floor.” Describing Chappelle as initially “bewildered,” she added that he quickly recovered and began cracking jokes on the mic, comparing the alleged attacker to Will Smith.
@shazzacarpenter Dave Chappelle just got assaulted on-stage by a man at his Hollywood Bowl show in LA. Dave’s OK but after security got to the attacker, he may not be. #davec ♬ original sound – Sharon Carpenter
Carpenter also mentioned that Jamie Foxx helped remove the attacker from the stage. This was backed up by a different clip where Chappelle thanks Foxx for his help. “Whenever you’re in trouble, Jamie Foxx will show up in a sheriff’s hat,” he said. In a second TikTok, Carpenter reposted a brief, blurry clip that seemingly shows the moment Chappelle was attacked.
@shazzacarpenter Most of us had to lock our phones in advance of the show but someone managed to capture video of #DaveChappelle ♬ original sound – Sharon Carpenter
Another attendee posted a clearer video from shortly after the alleged attack took place, recording Chappelle making a more controversial joke about the attacker. “It was a trans man,” Chappelle quips, referencing the backlash against his use of transphobic humor. This is a particularly thorny topic with regards to Chappelle’s relationship with Netflix, as his most recent Netflix special led to internal protests at the company.
The fact that Chappelle is headlining a Netflix comedy festival is controversial in itself, and he apparently mentioned during his act that he’d increased his own security in response to the backlash. To be clear though, there’s no evidence that Chappelle’s attacker is transgender, or that the assault was politically motivated. The LAPD hasn’t shared any more information about the attack, and Chappelle is yet to release a public statement.
Update 8:36am CT, May 5: When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Netflix told the Daily Dot in a statement: “We care deeply about the safety of creators and we strongly defend the right of stand-up comedians to perform on stage without fear of violence.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Chappelle’s team. We’ve also reached out to the LAPD.
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