Last night came news that comedian Dave Chappelle was assaulted on stage during his performance at the Hollywood Bowl last night as part of the eleven-day ‘Netflix Is A Joke’ comedy festival for the streaming service.
Videos from event attendees posted to social media show footage of Chappelle on stage performing when a man rushes up and tackles him. The 22-year-old man, reportedly armed with a replica gun “that can eject a knife blade” according to reports, is then seen being dragged away by security. He was subsequently arrested.
Chappelle is said to have not been injured in the incident while Chris Rock, who performed earlier in the evening, also came on stage and joked: “Was that Will Smith?”. It’s indicated Jamie Foxx also not only helped calm the crowd but aided in subduing the attacker.
Today, spokespersons for both Chappelle and Netflix have issued statements and want to put the emphasis back on the festival which have been a success. Chappelle’s rep says:
“Dave Chappelle celebrated four nights of comedy and music, setting record-breaking sales for a comedian at the Hollywood Bowl. 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.”
A Netflix spokesperson adds: “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.”
