Comic legend Dave Chappelle indicated he was very pleased that the attacker who stormed the stage at the Hollywood Bowl got broken up and beat down thoroughly by multiple security personnel.
As Chappelle, 48, closed out his set of the sold-out “Netflix Is a Joke Festival” in Los Angeles on May 3, 2022, a 23-year-old aspiring rapper named Isaiah Lee ran onstage and tackled Chappelle. He immediately darted backstage where security caught him and laid many hands on him. Police are charging Lee with assault with a deadly weapon because he was armed with a fake gun that had a knife that could have seriously injured Chappelle if he’d pressed the lever.
During the afterparty at the Pendry Hotel in WeHo, Chappelle was his customary witty self, according to TMZ. But he was also somber and pensive while speaking to the throng in attendance.
“I felt good my friends broke his arm. I felt good, how bad does a n—a have to be that Jon Stewart would stomp him!”
While Chappelle is happy that the man was twisted into a pretzel, he didn’t want the man to lose his life. “Killing that n—a would have been stupid,” Chappelle reported told the crowd.
Chapelle profusely thanked the men, including rap icon Busta Rhymes, who chased down Lee and left him with a busted right eye and broken arm among other injuries.
“Those are very powerful friends and I’m sharing [this night] with people I love very much.”
There are other ramifications from the attack, as fellow comic legend Howie Mandel and others admit being frightful now when they take the stage.
“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,” a Netflix spokesperson told CNN in a statement.
