Calling the incident 'unfortunate,' a representative for the comedian says that he's grateful to Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock who 'helped calm the crowd with humor' following the fiasco.

• May 5, 2022

AceShowbiz - Dave Chappelle has released the first statement after he got attacked at Hollywood Bowl. Calling the incident "unfortunate and unsettling," he credits Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock who helped him carry on with the show.

"Dave Chappelle celebrated four nights of comedy and music, setting record-breaking sales for a comedian at the Hollywood Bowl," read the statement issued by his representative Carla Sims on Wednesday, May 4. "This run ties Chappelle with Monty Python for the most headlined shows by any comedian at the Hollywood Bowl, reaching 70k fans of diverse backgrounds during the first 'Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival,' and he refuses to allow last night's incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment."

"As unfortunate and unsettling as the incident was, Chappelle went on with the show," the rep added. "Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock helped calm the crowd with humor before Chappelle introduced the last and featured musical guests for the evening, hip-hop artists Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli, a.k.a. 'Black Star,' who performed music from their new album - the first in nearly 24 years - which was released on Luminary. Other special comedic guests last night included Earthquake, Leslie Jones, Jeff Ross, Sebastian, Jon Stewart and Michelle Wolf."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Netflix told Fox News Digital, "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."

Dave, who was performing as part of his "Netflix is a Joke" tour on Tuesday night, was finishing up his set when a man, identified as Isaiah Lee, jumped on stage and lunged at the comedian. Both men fell on the floor and began brawling before security rushed to help.

The attacker was injured and taken to the hospital. He was arrested and charged for assault with a deadly weapon as Los Angeles police confirmed he had "a replica handgun with a knife" with him during the attack. He is currently in custody.

Shortly after the attack, Dave jokingly addressed the incident onstage, during which he said that "it was a trans man" who attacked him. He was referencing his controversial Netflix special "The Closer", in which he made transphobic remarks.

Dave has received backlash for the remark at Hollywood Bowl, with one critic saying, "Leave the trans community alone FFS [for f**k’s sake] - bulls**t/words like this are why the trans community are the most victimised, assaulted and abused."

Another added, "If you think I'm going to feel sorry for that transphobe Dave Chappelle, please don't. The moment security protects him from the attack, he immediately jokes it was a transgender man (it wasn't) - but it's clear he will continue to put a target on trans people regardless."

"Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage and the first thing he does is make a joke blaming trans people. I'm glad he’s ok but f**k Dave Chappelle," a third person called him out. One more added, "Nothing about the Dave Chappelle attack is fun. The attack itself. The beatdown. The 'trans man' quip. The reaction on twitter. It all just sucks."