Comedian Dave Chappelle was attacked on the stage during his performance for ‘Netflix Is A Joke’ in Los Angeles. The streaming platform has now released a strong statement condemning the act, "We care deeply about the safety of creators and we strongly defend the right of stand-up comedian to perform on stage without fear of violence.”
According to Variety, the incident between the comedian and a man happened towards the end of the show at Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on May 3. The surfaced video footage shows a man rushing to the stage and tacking Chappelle to the ground. After this incident, the video shows that man being dragged away by security and Chappelle’s team.
A spokesperson from Chappelle’s team also addressed the incident in a statement, "Dave Chappelle celebrated four nights of comedy and music, setting record0breaking sales for a comedy at the Hollywood Bowl. This run ties Chappelle with Monty Python for the most headlines shows by any comedian at the Hollywood Bowl, reaching 70k fans of diverse backgrounds during the first Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival, and he refuses to allow last night’s incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment.”
Controversies are not new for Chappelle. His 2021 Netflix special ‘The Closer’ drew controversy for targeting the LGBTQ+ community.