The comedian released a statement on Wednesday afternoon to say the incident was 'unfortunate' but not what he wanted to remember from the event
Dave Chappelle has broken his silence on being attacked during his Hollywood Bowl show, saying that he 'refuses' to let it overshadow his show and that he is working with the police to bring his attacker to justice.
The comedian released a statement on Wednesday afternoon to say the incident was 'unfortunate' but not what he wanted to remember from the event.
'Dave Chappelle celebrated four nights of comedy and music, setting record-breaking sales for a comedian at the Hollywood Bowl... he refuses to allow last night's incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment.
'As unfortunate and unsettling as the incident was, Chappelle went on with the show,' a spokesman said.
After Isaiah Lee, 23, attacked him on stage, Chappelle joked: 'It was a trans man'.
He had been talking about having to beef up his security in the wake of sparking controversy with his comments about trans people last year when Lee stormed the stage.
Despite the fact someone had just tried to attack him with a knife, critics are now accusing Chappelle of transphobia again for making the joke.
It remains unconfirmed what Lee's motives were.
His brother told Rolling Stone that he has mental health problems and has some connection to the trans community, but it's not clear what that is.
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Isaiah Lee, 23, is removed on a gurney and in handcuffs after trying to attack Dave Chappelle at his show in Hollywood on Tuesday night
Lee is now in the custody of LA County Sheriffs. He has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon
Attacked all over again: Chappelle was slammed for joking it was a 'trans man' who had come for him on stage
The 23-year-old was taken into custody at the event, then was taken to the hospital. He is now in jail
Footage later appears to show the suspect being treated by paramedics for a badly injured arm before he was taken to hospital in an ambulance
Lee was then tackled by security guards who appeared to break his arm in the melee. He is described as weighing 140lbs and is 5ft 11.
It raises questions about security at the Netflix show, its first ever live comedy festival, which forced fans to put their phones away but failed to spot the weapon. Netflix has not yet addressed the incident.
The venue said on its website that the show, which last night was titled Dave Chappelle and Friends, would be a 'phone-free experience' and that the audience would have to secure their phones inside pouches.
After the attacker was detained, Chappelle thanked Foxx on stage during the curtain call. He said: 'Shout out to Jamie Foxx by the way.
'Whenever you're in trouble, Jamie Foxx will show up in a sheriff's hat.'
Dave Chappelle was last night attacked on stage while filming a Netflix special in Los Angeles
Chris Rock, who performed later in the event last night and was similarly subjected to a violent outburst on stage at the Oscars in March, came on stage and joked: 'Was that Will Smith?', with Jimmy Carr standing behind
Chris Rock later came to the stage and joked that it was Will Smith who attacked Chappelle, while Jimmy Carr stood shocked in the background at the 'crazy' gig
Chappelle, who sparked outrage in the trans community with controversial comments in a Netflix show last year, appeared to be uninjured
Foxx replied: 'I thought that was part of the show, I didn't know what the f***...'
Chappelle said: 'I grabbed the back of that n**** head. His hair was spongy. Absorbent.'
Foxx added: '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
