In the middle of his performance in Los Angeles, Dave Chappelle was assaulted.
An audience member stormed the stage and physically attacked comedian Dave Chappelle in the middle of his performance in Los Angeles Tuesday night, but he was seemingly unharmed.
The perpetrator was pursued by security personnel until he was apprehended off stage at the Hollywood Bowl. The assailant was eventually carried from the scene on a stretcher, and his arm and face appeared to be injured.
“That was a trans man”
Dave Chappelle looked to lose his cool for a time, and afterwards remarked, “That was a trans man,” a reference to prior remarks in his set that suggested he felt attacked by transgender people, as well as previous transphobic material.
Chappelle vanished from view at one point in order to track down the assailant. He said when he returned, “This is something I’ve been doing for 35 years. I just stomped a [n-word] backstage — it’s something I’ve always wanted to do “It appears that he is referring to his assailant.
In October, debate erupted over Chappelle’s Netflix special The Closer, which is set to premiere in 2021. Chappelle makes jokes about trans women’s genitalia and defends J.K. Rowling against critics who claim she is transphobic in the special.
