Saturday Night Live alum Chris Redd is sharing details about the violent attack he endured outside of New York’s Comedy Cellar venue late last month. Redd spoke out about the ordeal in an appearance on The Daily Beast‘s The Last Laugh podcast, revealing that the incident occurred as he was walking towards the doors of the venue. While Redd says that he’s “taken a punch in the face before,” he became alarmed just “how much blood” came “gushing” out of his face. Redd was ultimately treated at New York’s Bellevue Hospital for two fractures in his nose, and one fracture in his cheek.
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“This man hit me in the face with something metal,” Redd revealed. “I thought it was brass knuckles because of the way it cut my nose to the bone.”
“A fist don’t normally do all of that at one time,” Redd continued. “So it was safe to assume I was hit with something…But the dude just hit me and ran off. I fell down so fast. I didn’t even know I fell until I looked at the [surveillance] footage.”
Redd was not able to track down the man who carried out the attack, stating that, “It wasn’t really about the pain at that point, it was just so much blood. [It wasn’t a good idea to] to chase him down the street with blood gushing out of my face.” He also revealed that if he had been able to, he would have continued his already-scheduled show at the Comedy Cellar.
“If we could have stopped the bleeding, I would have went on stage,” Redd revealed. “I was like, I can’t wait to talk about this shit. And I’m glad I waited, but that was my first thought.”
When did Chris Redd leave Saturday Night Live?
Redd was among a total of eight cast members to exit Saturday Night Live ahead of its 48th season premiere, a decision that was publicly announced last fall. Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Kyle Mooney, Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor, and Aristotle Athari also exited ahead of the new season.
“Being a part of SNL has been the experience of a lifetime,” Redd said in a statement. “Five years ago, I walked into 30 Rock knowing that this was an amazing opportunity for growth. Now, with friends who have become family and memories I will cherish forever, I’m grateful to Lorne Michaels and to the entire SNL organization. From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you all enough.”
Redd first signed on as a featured player on Saturday Night Live in 2017, and was promoted to the main cast in 2019. He won an Emmy award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics in 2018 for his work on the show, on the song “Come Back Barack.” His filmography also includes Kenan and Bust Down.
Redd also has a comedy special, titled Chris Redd: Why Am I Like This?, which will debut on HBO Max this month.
