TMZ obtained video footage of a man assaulting comedian Dave Chappelle during his set at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday.
The video shows the man rush onstage and tackle Chappelle to the floor. The attacker, later identified as Isaiah Lee, 23, then tried to flee backstage as security and several celebrities chased him.
“I am going to kill that n—-a,” Chappelle said, before going behind the curtain to see what was happening.
“Thank god that n—a was clumsy. He’s back there getting stomped,” Chappelle said as some people in the crowd laughed.
He joked that Lee was “a trans man,” in reference to his comments about transgenders in his Netflix specials.
Lee was arrested by the LAPD and transported to a hospital. He suffered multiple bruises and lacerations in his face. His right shoulder appeared to be dislocated.
Lee was armed with a replica gun that ejects a knife blade similar to this one. Chappelle was not injured.
Chris Rock, who performed earlier, hugged Chappelle and said, “Was that Will Smith?”
Among the celebrities in the audience were Beyonce and Jay Z, Sean Combs, Christina Milian, Karrueche Tran, rappers Gunna, Mos Def and Busta Rhymes, NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jon Stewart, Chris Tucker, Elon Musk, and more.
Jamie Foxx and Busta Rhymes were among the stars who restrained Lee after the attack.
“N——, I thought that was part of the show, I didn’t know what the f——k,” Foxx told Chappelle.
Chappelle then joked “I grabbed the back of that n—— head. His hair was spongy. Absorbent.”
Foxx added: “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.”
Watch the video below.
Someone rushed the stage and attacked Dave Chappelle during his Hollywood Bowl performance … and the surreal moment was caught on video. https://t.co/kFf1BvJDvt pic.twitter.com/tQzrt6tMLj
— TMZ (@TMZ) May 4, 2022
