Isaiah Lee, who faces misdemeanor counts for his attack on the comedian at Hollywood Bowl, says he was triggered by the star's jokes about the LGBTQ community and homelessness.
- May 23, 2022
AceShowbiz - The man accused of attacking Dave Chappelle has spoken up for the first time on the reason why he stormed the stage and charged at the comedian. Speaking from behind bars, Isaiah Lee blamed the star's jokes.
The Los Angeles man told New York Post in an interview that he was triggered by Dave's jokes about his prior controversies with the LGBTQ community, as well as homelessness. "I identify as bisexual ... and I wanted him to know what he said was triggering," he said Saturday, May 21 at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in L.A.
"I wanted him to know that next time, he should consider first running his material by people it could affect," the 23-year-old, who at one point was homeless himself, stressed. "I'm also a single dad and my son is five. It's a struggle and I wanted Dave Chappelle to know it's not a joke."
Isaiah said he came to the "Netflix Is a Joke" show at Hollywood Bowl on May 3 expecting to have a "good time," but he grew angry and frustrated as Dave brought up his controversial past LGBTQ jokes and homelessness. The young father said his breaking point was when another comedian in the show's lineup make a crude joke about pedophilia, which he claimed dredged up memories of his own molestation as a teen.
The wannabe rapper, who goes by the name NoName_Trapper, admitted he was carrying a replica handgun with a retractable knife inside the night of the alleged attack, but insisted that he didn't pull out the weapon when he rushed to the stage.
"They spat on me and twisted me as if on purpose," he said of the security guards who restrained him, leaving him with a broken arm and two black eyes. He also denied reports saying he suffers from mental health issues, calling them "wrong" and "inaccurate," but his lawyer has said he is receiving mental health services.
Isaiah, who faces four misdemeanor counts related to his attack on Dave, has since also been slapped with felony charges stemming from an incident in which he stabbed his roommate. "But it went from me probably only doing six months [in jail] and having to do community service and living in a transitional home ... to possibly 15 or more years in jail," he said of his future, shaking his head. "My son will be big by the time I get out."
Still, he said he doesn't regret what happened because he saw it as an opportunity to speak out his mind about how sensitive homelessness, LGBTQ rights and child sex abuse jokes could be.
