Trans-Critical Comedian Attacked

Dave Chappelle, an American comedian, was attacked by a man with a knife during a show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Tuesday, May 3rd. 

The alleged attacker, 23-year-old Isiah Lee, is said to have stormed the stage near the end of Chappelle’s show. Reports claim that he was carrying a knife shaped like a gun. Chappelle was unharmed, and Lee was apprehended by police and will likely be charged with a misdemeanor. Lee’s motives are still unclear.

The attack comes just weeks after comedian Chris Rock was slapped by actor Will Smith at the 2022 Academy Awards. Rock himself was present at the show, and he joined Chappelle on stage to ask, “was it Will Smith?”

Chappelle, who is politically liberal on most issues, recently came under fire for a Netflix special, entitled “The Closer,” in which he joked about transgenderism. During the special, he said “gender is a fact. Every human being in this room, every human being on earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on earth. That is a fact.” 

Many critics have claimed that his jokes were transphobic, but Chappelle has refused to back down. He has stated that he is perfectly happy to meet with his critics to discuss his jokes, but he is “not bending to anybody’s demands.”

Carla Sims, a representative for Chappelle has released a statement about the attempted attack. “As unfortunate and unsettling as the incident was,” Sims said, “Chappelle went on with the show…. [Fellow comedians] Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock helped calm the crowd with humor before Chappelle introduced the last and featured musical guests for the evening.”

On Friday, Isaiah Lee, 23, pleaded not guilty to four misdemeanor charges related to the attack. Chappelle’s attorney called it a “travesty of justice” that the district attorney refused to prosecute the case as a felony.

“This was a violent assault that was perpetrated on an unsuspecting entertainer while he was giving a show in front of  thousands of people at the historic Hollywood Bowl.”