A spokesperson for Dave Chappelle said the comedian will not let Tuesday night’s physical attack in Hollywood deter him from future performances as officials said the suspect was charged in connection to the incident.
The spokesperson added that Chappelle is cooperating with authorities in the case.
Isaiah Lee, 23, was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department after he allegedly stormed the stage during Chappelle’s Hollywood Bowl show, according to police. He was described as a black male with black hair and brown and who is 5'11 and weighs 140 pounds.
“We care deeply about the safety of creators and we strongly defend the right of stand-up comedians to perform on stage without fear of violence,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement to news outlets. Chappelle was performing for the Netflix special, “Netflix is a Joke.”
“The guy tried to tackle Dave, and Dave sidestepped,” Ali told the outlet, adding that he was “corralled” by security guards.
After the incident, Chappelle joked that his attacker was a “trans man,” in reference to social media-driven outrage over jokes he made about so-called transgender individuals during his “The Closer” performance.
Following the attack, UK comedian Jimmy Carr shared a photo taken with Chappelle with the caption: “The Hollywood Bowl show with the legendary Dave Chappelle was crazy. Just happy everyone’s ok.”
The Epoch Times has contacted Chappelle’s publicist with a request for comment on the incident.