Dave Chappelle slammed for joking a ‘trans man’ attacked him on stage
Dave Chappelle was slammed on social media for joking that a “trans man” attacked him on stage Tuesday night.
After a man armed with a fake handgun tackled Chappelle in the middle of a performance at the Hollywood Bowl, the stand-up comedian turned to his audience and declared, “It was a trans man!”
Several attendees shared videos of the attack, which took place during the Netflix Is a Joke festival, as well as Chappelle’s subsequent backlash-inducing comment.
“Leave the trans community alone FFS [for f–k’s sake] – bulls–t/words like this are why the trans community are the most victimised, assaulted and abused 😡,” one critic tweeted.
“If you think I’m going to feel sorry for that transphobe Dave Chappelle, please don’t. The moment security protects him from the attack, he immediately jokes it was a transgender man (it wasn’t) — but it’s clear he will continue to put a target on trans people regardless,” another wrote.
“Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage and the first thing he does is make a joke blaming trans people. I’m glad he’s ok but f–k Dave Chappelle,” a third Twitter user agreed.
“Nothing about the Dave Chappelle attack is fun. The attack itself. The beatdown. The ‘trans man’ quip. The reaction on twitter. It all just sucks,” one more concluded.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to Page Six early Wednesday that the man accused of attacking Chappelle, a 23-year-old named Isaiah Lee, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. A spokesperson said Lee was carrying a replica gun with a blade inside of it.
The incident occurred moments after Chappelle, 48, told the crowd that he needed to ramp up his security team in the wake of his remarks last year about the transgender community.
In his Netflix special “The Closer,” which was released in October 2021, the “Chappelle’s Show” alum sided with “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling as “team TERF,” an acronym for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist” that is used to describe people who believe a trans woman’s gender identity is not legitimate.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos rejected widespread calls to remove the special from the streaming service, citing Chappelle’s freedom of artistic expression.
The comic later released a video addressing the trans community, saying in part, “I am more than willing to give you an audience, but you will not summon me. I am not bending to anyone’s demands.”
