Dave Chappelle was in good spirits on Tuesday night (May 3) at the Pendry Hotel in West Hollywood despite being attacked mid-set at The Hollywood Bowl just hours prior. The famed comedian was on deck at the “Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival” when an armed man, later identified as 23-year-old Isaiah Lee, charged him.
Security swiftly swarmed Lee and he was delivered a proper beatdown that resulted in a possibly broken arm, swollen eye, bloody nose and bruises all over his body. In audio obtained by TMZ,Chappelle praised friends such as Busta Rhymes, Jamie Foxx and fellow comedian Jon Stewart for handling Lee.
“I watched em get kicked around, and I couldn’t believe it was my friends ’cause it’s so good what they do […] I felt good my friends broke his arm. I felt good, how bad does a n-gga have to be that Jon Stewart would stomp him! […] I’m very proud of them. Killing that n-gga would have been stupid. Those are very powerful friends and I’m sharing [this night] with people I love very much.”
It’s unclear why Lee decided to attack Chappelle that night. An aspiring rapper who goes by NoName Trapper, Lee actually has a song on Spotify named after the 48-year-old comedian, so it’s possible he’s a deranged fan possibly looking for attention. He does have a sizable following on Instagram, with around 32,000 people, as well as over 5,700 monthly Spotify listeners.
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After receiving medical treatment, Lee was arrested for felony assault with a deadly weapon and booked into Los Angeles County jail with bail set at $30,000.
Dave Chappelle's Attacker Managed To Sneak Weapon Past Hollywood Bowl Security
Chappelle, who was uninjured during the chaos, was shaken up but continued with his evening. Fellow comedian Chris Rock, one of many special guests, joined Chappelle onstage after the attack and asked, “Was that Will Smith?” The wisecrack marked the first time Rock publicly joked about getting smacked by Smith during the 94th Annual Academy Awards on March 27.
