The comedy world has suffered tremendous blows to its public reception following the worldwide pandemic. Frankly, the onset of a more sensitive population has attempted to limit the type of jokes that comedians can make. In comedian Dave Chappelle’s case, the Transgender community have been the butt of some of his past jokes and that didn’t blow over well within LGBTQ+ circles.
Fast forward to the Netflix Is A Joke Fest, an audience member made his way on stage while Chapelle was performing stand-up, tackling the comedian to the ground. A late responding security team cornered the man and proceeded to physically subdue the man. Meanwhile, Chappelle was surrounded by his fellow comedian friends who had came to his rescue, including Jamie Foxx, Chris Rock, and musicians Busta Rhymes and Chris Brown.
Chappelle didn’t appear to have any injuries and was able to complete the show. The same could not be said for the attacker. Video footage surfaced on social media showing Isaiah Lee, 23, laying on a gurney while being loaded into an ambulance. He had multiple injuries, including a severely broken arm, cuts to his face, and a huge lump on his forehead.
Lee, who goes by the rap name NoName_Trapper, allegedly had a replica gun with a knife-like object in his possession. He is currently being held on bail for $30,000 and faces an assault with a deadly weapon charge. Sources are reporting that his brother has admitted that Lee suffers from mental illness.
“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 statement released by Netflix said.
Chappelle’s production company also responded.
“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,” the statement said. “He refuses to allow last night’s incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment.”
