- Culture
- 04 May 22
The comedian was performing as part of Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival.
Dave Chappelle was tackled while performing live onstage at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles last night – with videos of the attack and the aftermath being widely shared online.
The stand-up comedian, who was taking part in the Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival, was apparently unharmed. After the attacker was dragged off by security, Chappelle was recorded joking that "it was a trans man" – a statement that's been criticised by many online.
Chappelle has been the subject of major controversy for his jokes about transgender people – sparking backlash for comments made during his 2021 Netflix special, The Closer.
Some Netflix employees staged a walk-out outside the company's offices in Los Angeles in October to protest Chappelle's stand-up special.
Last night's event at the Hollywood Bowl was billed as Dave Chappelle & Friends – and also featured appearances from Chris Rock, Leslie Jones, Michelle Wolf, Sebastian Maniscalco, Jimmy Carr, Jon Stewart and more.
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Videos have also been shared of Chris Rock addressing the crowd following last night's attack: "Was that Will Smith?" he asked, in reference to the infamous slap at this year's Oscars.
Dave Chapelle getting tackled #davechappelle pic.twitter.com/CeMtLvv2Zv
— Kyle Foley (@kylefoley) May 4, 2022
Earlier this morning, Jimmy Carr – who prompted major backlash of his own earlier this year, following his comments about Roma people in his Netflix special His Dark Material – shared an image of himself and Chappelle on Twitter.
"The Hollywood Bowl show with the legendary Dave Chappelle was crazy," he wrote. "Just happy everyone's ok."
The Hollywood Bowl show with the legendary Dave Chappelle was crazy. Just happy everyone’s ok. pic.twitter.com/Jji0mv2ub6
— Jimmy Carr (@jimmycarr) May 4, 2022