Netflix issued a statement on Wednesday defending a comedian’s right to do standup after the superstar Dave Chappelle was attacked during his show at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday night.
The streaming site made it clear the safety of its performers is the most important thing to them and said comedians have a right to be able to perform on stage without fear after a man assaulted the 48 year old while he was doing a stand-up routine for the Netflix Is a Joke festival in Los Angeles, reported Variety.
“We care deeply about the safety of creators and we strongly defend the right of stand-up comedians to perform on stage without fear of violence,” the Netflix statement read.
The alleged attacker has been identified as Isaiah Lee, 23, of Los Angeles, as previously reported by The Daily Wire.
Lee has been charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon. The man reportedly was armed with a blade-firing fake gun, LAPD spokesperson Lizeth Lomeli stated, reported the New York Post, which added, “Lee was booked just after 3:30 a.m. Wednesday and held on $30,000 bail, records show.”
Footage surfaced on social media Wednesday showing a person running on stage and appearing to try to tackle Chappelle, The Daily Wire reported.
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
“It was a trans man. … I am going to kill that n*****,” Chappelle joked.
During the incident, actor Jamie Foxx raced on stage to help Chappelle.
“Shout out to Jamie Foxx by the way,” Chappelle said, joined by Foxx during the curtain call, The Daily Mail reported. “Whenever you’re in trouble, Jamie Foxx will show up in a sheriff’s hat.”
“I thought that was part of the show, I didn’t know what the f***,” Foxx replied.
“I grabbed the back of that n**** head,” Chappelle joked. “His hair was spongy. Absorbent.”
“Listen, I just want to say, this man is an absolute genius,” Foxx said. “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.”
“I’ve been doing this for 35 years,” Chappelle replied, then joked. “I just stomped a n**** backstage. I’ve always wanted to do that.”
Comedian Chris Rock was in the house and joined Chappelle on stage after the alleged assault and joked, “Was that Will Smith?”
“I thought it was you for a second!” Chappelle responded.
Rock was struck in the face by Smith during the 94th Academy Awards show after the comedian cracked a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved bald head amid her hair loss battle.