CelebritiesA spokesperson for Dave Chappelle, 48, has responded to the incident that occurred during his show at the Hollywood Bowl at the ‘Netflix Is A Joke’ festival. The comedian doesn’t want the incident to overshadow his show. “As unfortunate and uncomfortable as the accident was, Chappelle carried on.” Canadian comedian Howie Mandel (66) links the attack to Will Smith’s Oscar hit. “What happened there has opened doors for the use of violence.”
Dave Chappelle was attacked Tuesday night local time in the middle of his show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles by a 23-year-old man with a fake gun. The comedian was unharmed and continued with his performance after a short hiatus. The attacker was injured in the incident and was taken to hospital. There he was arrested. It is not clear why he attacked Chappelle.
According to his rep, Carla Sims, Chappelle refuses to let the incident overshadow his show. “As unfortunate and uncomfortable as the accident was, Chappelle carried on,” it said in a statement. “Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock came to help him calm the crowd with humor before Chappelle announced the final musical guests. Dave has spent the past month Performed multiple times at the Hollywood Bowl and as a comedian has sold a record number of tickets. Some 70,000 people from all walks of life have come to the shows and Dave doesn’t want to let that historic moment be ruined by this incident.”
Link to Will Smith
Canadian comedian Howie Mandel (66) has also responded to the attack. Mandel has been a comedian for 45 years and is also a member of the jury of ‘America’s Got Talent’. “I won’t go into details about the Oscars, but what happened there did open the doors for the use of violence.” He points to the blow that Will Smith gave to comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars. “As comedians, we are already attacked for what we say and we are even canceled because something does not go well with certain people or groups. I’m afraid this is the beginning of the end for comedy, when as a comedian you can’t just do your job without getting everyone all over you or even being physically attacked.”
When asked what he would do if he were attacked on stage, Mandel says he would avoid the situation. “I think I would be like Usain Bolt and run away really fast. In any case, I wouldn’t fight back. I’m too much of a wimp for that.”
Netflix also responded to the accident. “We care deeply about the safety of our guests and fully support comedians to perform without fear of violence.”
ALSO READ:
Man charged with assault with a gun after attacking comedian Dave Chappelle
Footage shows controversial comedian Dave Chapelle being attacked on stage, actor Jamie Foxx rushes to his rescue
Strike against ‘transphobic’ show: Hundreds of Netflix employees protested comedian Dave Chappelle (+)
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss a thing from the stars.