While the man who rushed to the stage and lunged at the comedian seems to be in a pretty bad shape, the 'Chi-Raq' star reportedly manages to joke about him stomping the attacker.
- May 4, 2022
AceShowbiz - Dave Chappelle has got the last laugh after being attacked at Hollywood Bowl. The comedian performed a stand-up routine when a man rushed on stage to tackle him, but the star has managed to joke about the fiasco.
According to multiple eyewitnesses, the 48-year-old comic was finishing up his set on Tuesday night, May 3 when a man sitting in the front row rushed on stage and lunged at him. They both fell on the floor and began wrestling before security ran onstage to help.
The man was taken backstage, where he reportedly got beaten up by the security. After regaining his composure, Dave made a reference to his controversial Netflix special "The Closer", in which he made transphobic remarks. "It was a trans man," he quipped about the attacker.
One attendee at the event said that Chris Rock, who performed earlier, came onstage with Dave and made a reference to the Oscars slap. "Was that Will Smith?" the "Grown Ups" star reportedly joked.
Attendees' phones were confiscated at the gate when leaving the venue, so video and photos would not be shared, but there were still clips who made it out online. One video shows Dave thanking Jamie Foxx for possibly helping tackle the attacker as saying, "Whenever you're in trouble, Jamie Foxx will show up in a sheriff's hat."
"I thought that was part of the show," Jamie was heard responding. Dave claimed, "I grabbed the back of that N*****'s head. His hair was spongey!" He went on joking, "I've been doing this for 35 years. I just stomped a n***** backstage. I've always wanted to do that."
In a serious note, Jamie told the crowd, "Listen, I just want to say...this man is an absolute genius. We've got to make sure we protect him at all times. For every comedian who comes out here, this means everything. You're a genius. You're a legend, and we're not going to let nothing happen to you."
Los Angeles police confirmed to ABC7 that they responded to a call at the Bowl around 10:45 P.M. They indicated that a man was taken into custody. He was reportedly armed with a gun and a knife.
A clip taken in the aftermath of the incident also showed the attacker seemingly in a pretty bad shape. The man appears to have his arm mangled as he was taken into an ambulance in a stretcher.
