Dave Chappelle was performing at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles as part of the Netflix Is A Joke Festival on Tuesday night (May 3) when he was attacked onstage.
Footage circulating on social media shows a man rushing the stage and charging toward Chappelle in an attempt to tackle him. The comedian, who is believed to be unhurt, managed to stay on his feet as the man went hurtling toward the ground.
Someone just tried to attack Dave Chappelle on stage at the Hollywood Bowl 😳😳 pic.twitter.com/PZI3RMRdjD
— Piñata Farms 🪅 (@pinatafarms) May 4, 2022
It’s unclear what prompted the attack, but things didn’t end well for the culprit. Another video shows the man getting beaten up by a group of at least 10 people behind a screen at the back of the stage.
The idiot getting beaten down after attacking Dave Chappelle at Hollywood Bowl pic.twitter.com/Ft0FIUyjWv
— Jed Simon (@JEDSIMON) May 4, 2022
The attacker was later loaded into an ambulance, with various clips showing his face bruised and swollen and his right elbow twisted backwards as he sat on a stretcher.
According to KABC‘s Stephanie Walsh, the man was reportedly armed with a gun and a knife and was taken into police custody.
Dave Chappelle did their job 😵💫😵💫😵💫 pic.twitter.com/0znP5H5ZvW
— Piñata Farms 🪅 (@pinatafarms) May 4, 2022
If you attack @DaveChappelle on stage at the Hollywood bowl his people will bring you back stage and whoop your ass. And then Dave himself will come back and stomp you personally. That shit was crazy. #DaveChappelle #hollywoodbowl pic.twitter.com/b1pLQj14Xn
— Johnny (@JonnyLaVallee) May 4, 2022
The attack happened toward the end of Chappelle’s set, just moments after he revealed he’d increased his security because of the backlash to his jokes about the trans community, per BuzzFeed News reporter Brianna Sacks.
As his security continued beating up the man, Chappelle returned to the mic and addressed the incident, joking about the attacker being a “trans man.”
Someone just ran on stage and attacked Dave Chappelle 😮 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles #netflixisajokefest #netflixisajoke pic.twitter.com/0WMUPQ7ks4
— DoZay (@DoZay1) May 4, 2022
Chappelle was later joined onstage by Jamie Foxx. “Whenever you in trouble, Jamie Foxx will show up in a sheriff’s hat,” Chappelle quipped. “N-gga, I thought that was part of the show. I grabbed the back of that n-gga’s head. His hair was spongy, absorbent.”
He added, “N-gga, I’ve been doing this 35 years. I just stomped a n-gga backstage. Always wanted to do that.”
Foxx then joked, “I’m back there squeezing that n-gga, too,” before Chappelle said, “I seen Busta Rhymes there and he was like, ‘That’s how you do it, God.’”
Chris Rock — who was one of several special guests during Chappelle’s show — also returned to the stage after the attack and joked, “Was that Will Smith?” (Rock was slapped in the face by Smith at the 2022 Oscars in March.)
dave chappelle was tackled tonight on stage by a heckler and afterward chris rock got on stage and said “was that will smith?” im CRYINGGGGGG pic.twitter.com/kNw4zklyR9
— Kenny Bear (@RapDose) May 4, 2022
Dave Chappelle and his security had that man looking like a loony tunes character emerging from one of them fight clouds lmao
— King Wow (@wowthatshiphop) May 4, 2022
Dave Chappelle and his security beating dude legs back stage pic.twitter.com/JEebSAq5V3
— Brock Landers 💨 (@theMEZ9) May 4, 2022
Nigga came to see Dave Chappelle and almost met Charlie Murphy the same night
— DDOT. (@DDotOmen) May 4, 2022
Dave Chappelle had that nigga backstage like: pic.twitter.com/LDLOYMGN96
— jeremy🕊🖤✨ (@damnitjeremyy) May 4, 2022
