After Dave Chappelle was knocked to the ground during his Netflix Is a Joke festival set, his attacker has since been identified and arrested.
Us Weekly confirmed on Wednesday, May 4, that Isaiah Lee was taken into the custody of the Los Angeles Police Department hours earlier on an assault with a deadly weapon charge after he lunged at the comedian the night before. Lee, 23, is being held on a $30,000 bail.
The Chappelle’s Show alum, 48, was performing at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday, May 3, when Lee ran from his spot in the crowd up on the stage. According to social media footage from the event, Chappelle appeared to have been pushed onto the ground. While Lee attempted to flee the stage several moments later, he was detained by security guards and the You’ve Got Mail actor’s team.
Chappelle was tapped to headline a “Dave Chappelle and Friends” special earlier this month as part of the Netflix Is a Joke festival. Per a description on the event website, it was meant to be a “phone-free experience.” While guests remained in possession of their smartphones, devices were to be secured in individual, sealed pouches provided by the venue for the duration of the show.
The A Star Is Born actor’s set comes nearly one year after he caught flak for making controversial jokes in his The Closer special for Netflix. Many believed his remarks were transphobic, which lead several employees of the streaming platform to stage a walkout in October 2021.
“When we think about this challenge we have to entertain the world,” Netflix’s CEO Ted Sarandos told The Hollywood Reporter at the time, defending the decision to air the special. “Part of that challenge means that you’ve got audiences with various taste, various sensibilities, various beliefs. You really can’t please everybody or the content would be pretty dull.”
During his Tuesday set, Chappelle allegedly referred to Lee as a “trans man,” according to multiple reports, shortly after Lee was removed from the venue. The Hollywood Bowl performance also included several famous faces in the audience. Both Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock — the latter of whom made headlines two months prior when he was slapped by Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars — were spotted at the show.
The South Carolina native, 57, took the stage shortly after the incident and joked, “Was that Will Smith?” (While Rock presented the Best Documentary Feature trophy at the Academy Awards in March, he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. As a result, the King Richard star walked on stage and slapped him before apologizing one day later.)
Both Rock and the Ray star, 54, shared their support for Chappelle during the show.
“I thought that was part of the show, I didn’t know what the f–k [happened],” Foxx said during the curtain call according to Twitter footage. “Listen, I just want to say, this man is an absolute genius. We’ve got to make sure we protect him at all times. For every comedian who comes out here, this means everything. You’re a genius. You’re a legend, I enjoyed myself thoroughly, and we’re not going to let nothing happen to you.”
Scroll below for more on the incident:
During Chappelle’s standup gig in Los Angeles, an audience member ran up on stage and crashed into the Washington, D.C. native, knocking him to the ground. Mathieu Bitton/Netflix
Us confirmed that the 23-year-old was charged with attacking Chappelle. David Richard/AP/Shutterstock
The LAPD reported that the suspect was armed with a replica gun that could eject a knife blade, according to NBC Los Angeles. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Us confirmed that Lee was arrested on Wednesday, hours after the incident occurred. He is being held on $30,000 bail. Lester Cohen/Netflix
While neither Chappelle nor the security officials on the scene were injured, Lee was taken to a local hospital and treated for “superficial injuries,” per NBC Los Angeles. Mathieu Bitton/Shutterstock
The comedian's rep told Us in a statement that Chappelle "refuses to allow [the] incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment," adding that the Chappelle's Show alum "went on with the show" despite the "unfortunate and unsettling" attack. Though Chappelle applauded Jon Stewart, Foxx and Busta Rhymes for allegedly breaking Lee's arm — "how bad does a [N-word] have to be that Jon Stewart would stomp him," the comedian quipped at the afterparty, per TMZ — his rep told the outlet that Chappelle was joking about his friends beating up the attacker, noting that the quip was part of his routine. Mathieu Bitton/Shutterstock
Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer spoke out on Friday, May 6, declaring the charges against Lee: "Charges alleging battery, possession of a weapon with the intent to assault and charges related to interfering with a performance," the lawyer stated in a video on his Twitter account. He added that his office "takes public safety very seriously, and we are going to vigorously prosecute this case." Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Lee pleaded “not guilty” to several misdemeanor counts, including battery and possessing a deadly weapon with intent to assault on Friday, May 6, during his first appearance in court since the incident. Public defender Chelsea Padilla denied Lee ever brandished a weapon during the Hollywood Bowl attack. “The only injury was actually to Mr. Lee … facial injuries from 12 people stomping on Mr. Lee while he was on stage,” the lawyer said. The judge ruled Lee’s bail would remain at $30,000. He was ordered to stay away from Chappelle, his home and any venue where he’s performing, including the Hollywood Bowl. Body Cams+ /TMX/Mega
In May 2022, Netflix announced which content would be released from its Netflix Is a Joke Fest — and Chappelle’s Hollywood Bowl event didn't make the list. Ahead of the comedian's set, the streaming service noted that his shows wouldn't be taped for their special. Mathieu Bitton/Shutterstock
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced on May 18, 2022, that Lee was charged with one count of attempted murder — but not against Chappelle. Lee allegedly tried to stab his roommate in December 2021. After pleading not guilty, he will return to court for the crime in June 2022. In his statement, the DA credited “the publicity generated by the attack on Mr. Chappelle” in helping solve the case, noting that the suspect’s roommate claimed to recognize him from the coverage of the comedian's attack, which led to the police tracking him down. Mathieu Bitton/Shutterstock
Lee broke his silence on the incident during an interview with The New York Post following his arrest, revealing that he felt "triggered" by Chappelle's jokes about the trans community. "I identify as bisexual ... and I wanted him to know what he said was triggering," Lee explained. "I wanted him to know that next time, he should consider first running his material by people it could affect." Lee went on to allege that the security personnel who detained him at the event gave him two black eyes and broke his arm, claiming, "They spat on me and twisted me as if on purpose." Shutterstock
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