Dave Chappelle Attacked By Spectator At Hollywood Bowl

A man was taken into custody after rushing and tackling the comedian Dave Chappelle toward the end of his comedy set at the Hollywood Bowl Arena in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening. From videos taken at the event, a man threw himself into Chappelle after climbing onto the stage.

Chappelle seemed to rebuff the blow and stay standing, and the man was quickly apprehended by security and seen getting punched and kicked repeatedly in the back of the stage. The man was taken to the hospital for minor injuries and he may have had a retractable knife and replica handgun in his possession, though police say they are still trying to determine whether he attempted to use the blade.

In one video soon after the altercation, Chappelle says “It was a trans man!” To laughs from the crowd. He was referencing the recent backlash to transphobic jokes from his Netflix special The Closer, which prompted walkouts by some employees at Netflix. The streamer has stood by the comic with a deal established for several more specials down the line, and this festival he was performing at was the Netflix As A Joke festival happening in Los Angeles currently.

A Buzzfeed News reporter, Brianna Sacks, who was reportedly present also said that Chappelle had mentioned getting increased security in the wake of the backlash he had been receiving from critics of his jokes. She even added that Chappelle was still joking around while his potential assailant was getting beaten up.

Chris Rock, who was booked for the show, even took the stage and made light of his recent situation of getting slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars by saying jokingly, “was that Will Smith?”