Dave Chappelle releases statement about on-stage attack, says it won’t overshadow 'historic moment'

Following being attacked on stage during a show on May 3, comedian Dave Chappelle has said that the incident won’t “overshadow the magic of this historic moment.”

Chappelle was performing a sold-out stand-up comedy show at the Hollywood Bowl when a man carrying a replica gun with blade jumped on stage and tackled him.

The man, who was later identified as 23-year-old Isaiah Lee, was grabbed by security guards and Chappelle was able to continue his show.

Lee was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, said Officer Alba Mendez, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson. Pictures showed Lee being taken away in an ambulance with a swollen eye and bloody nose. Mendez said that Lee was booked into jail early on Wednesday and held on $30,000 (Dh110,193) bail.

“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,” Chapelle’s publicist said in a statement.

Chappelle was performing the last of four shows at the amphitheatre as part of the ‘Netflix Is a Joke’ festival when he was tackled.

Actors Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock were also at the event, with Rock taking the mic and joking: “Was that Will Smith?”

He was referring to being slapped by Smith at the Oscars in March over a joke.

According to reports, Chappelle was attacked as he was wrapping up a routine in which he talked about how comedians have to worry more about their personal security in the wake of #Slapgate.

The attack on Chappelle comes after backlash over his views about transgender people, which he expressed in his Netflix special ‘Closer’. However, it’s unclear if this was Lee’s motive.

Netflix also issued a statement about the incident, saying: “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.”