Man Who Attacked Dave Chapelle Identified

By Russ Burlingame

Law enforcement officials have identified the man who tackled comedian Dave Chappelle at the Netflix is a Joke festival as 23-year-old Isaiah Lee. Lee's motivation for the headline-grabbing attack, coming weeks after Will Smith stormed the Academy Awards stage to slap host Chris Rock after an offensive joke, remains officially unexplained. The two most popular theories at present are that it's either someone seeking attention, or that it was politically motivated as a result of Chappelle's political jokes about race and gender. Lee has been arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon. 

Chappelle has become increasingly controversial in recent years as a result of jokes that are widely seen as transphobic -- a reality the comedian reportedly acknowledged by joking that his attacker "was a trans man" in the moments after he returned to the stage. For his part, Rock -- who followed Chappelle on stage -- joked "was that Will Smith?"

Lee is currently being held on a $30,000 bond. early reports from NBC News Los Angeles, the attacker was carrying "a weapon that police say can eject a knife blade when discharged correctly." Now, TMZ -- who first reported Lee's identity -- are saying he was brandishing a replica gun with a knife attached to it. It now seems that the weapon was definitely intended for use in the attack, and not just something Lee was carrying, because police tell the tabloid site that Lee had pointed the weapon at Chapelle. It is also unclear whether the attack was provoked by something Chappelle said on stage, or whether the suspect went to the show with the intent to attack the comedian. Police are investigating how Lee managed to get the weapon through the metal detectors at the venue.

Chappelle was attacked while doing a set on stage at the Hollywood Bowl. As seen on various videos posted to social media, a man rushed the stage and tackled the comedian, but was almost immediately wrestled away from Chappelle and reportedly beaten by the comedian's security team. Fans on social media made it sound like the beating was pretty brutal (and celebrities like Jamie Foxx and Busta Rhymes are said to have joined security in subduing Lee), but according to the Los Angeles Police Department, the attacker was admitted to a hospital with "superficial injuries." Chappelle was not harmed.

After taking a brief break backstage, Chappelle returned to the stage to finish his set, joking about his increased security following his controversial Netflix special The Closer. That special sparked outrage on a number of fronts, including a walk-out by Netflix's transgender employees after CEO Reed Hastings backed Chappelle against criticism and protests by LGBTQ+ advocates.

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