Dave Chappelle was attacked by a man who police say was armed with a replica gun in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. While performing at the Hollywood Bowl as part of the Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival, the controversial comedian was rushed and tackled to the ground while on stage by the man, who was quickly taken into custody by the police (although not before Chappelle’s security team had their way with him).
Following the attack, “Chappelle is seen to recover his composure and joke, ‘It was a trans man.’ The joke was a reference to the ongoing controversy surrounding some of the comedian’s jokes in his Netflix specials that have been construed as transphobic,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. “Before he was attacked, Chappelle had talked about needing more security after the controversy over his trans jokes.”
Also in attendance was Chris Rock, who joined Chappelle on stage following the incident. “Was that Will Smith?” he joked, according to journalist Stephanie Wash, a reference to… come on, you know what it’s a reference to. Rock could tell that same joke at every show for the rest of his life, and probably get a standing ovation every time. As long as he gets paid, that is. You can watch that moment below.
Chris rock after Dave Chappelle get attacked on stage “is that will smith “😂 pic.twitter.com/hw4PWZWC6y
— abdulaziz (@abdulaziz0m) May 4, 2022
(Via the Hollywood Reporter)
