Dave Chappelle Says He Was Attacked By A Homeless Man With Leaves In His Hair

The attack on Dave Chappelle has generated a stir in the industry. The recent incidents with Chappelle and Chris Rock raised security concerns. Two nights after the Hollywood Bowl incident, the comedian performed at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles, where celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Sean “Diddy” Combs were in attendance.

The comedian took the stage in the Comedy Store’s 70-seat Belly Room. Despite the fact that Chappelle’s appearance was a last-minute addition, rumors began to circulate Thursday night before the show, and eager fans paid $160 for a ticket to see the “secret show” with an unnamed star comedian.

Kim Kardashian, Sean “Diddy” Combs, rapper Yasiin Bey, and comedian Jeff Ross were among the celebrities in the intimate crowd, which was part of the lineup for Chappelle’s Tuesday night Hollywood Bowl show. Michelle Wolf, who was also in attendance at the Tuesday night show, served as Chappelle’s opening act.

Chris Rock, who was at Tuesday night’s show and, of course, slapped by Will Smith onstage at the 2022 Oscars, joined Chappelle onstage ten minutes into his set. Chappelle took the stage wearing a baggy tank top and smoking his favorite cigarettes, American Spirits, to a hero’s welcome from the small crowd.

Chappelle immediately brought up the Tuesday night attack at the Hollywood Bowl, saying he couldn’t see the man’s face but had a grip on his hair. Chappelle described being embraced by his son immediately following the incident, who told him, “Dad, I love you.” Chappelle claimed that the strange sight of Jamie Foxx wearing “a sheriff’s hat” for some reason calmed him down.

Hours after the attack, Chappelle’s representative stated that, despite the “unfortunate” and “unsettling” nature of what occurred, he would not let it “overshadow the magic of” his Hollywood Bowl sets. “A lot of people love me, it turns out,” Chappelle said of the many people who reached out after the incident. Rock then joined Chappelle onstage, prompting a standing ovation from the audience.

Chappelle joked to Rock: “At least you got smacked by someone of repute! I got smacked by a homeless guy with leaves in his hair.”

Rock laughed and responded, “I got smacked by the softest n*gga that ever rapped.”

Later, Chappelle described convincing police in Los Angeles to let him into the room where his alleged assailant, 23-year-old Isaiah Lee, was being held. “I needed to speak with him,” Chappelle explained. He asked Lee what could have prompted his attack, to which Lee — who Chappelle described as mentally ill — responded with a story about his grandmother from Brooklyn, who had been pushed out of her neighborhood due to gentrification.

According to Chappelle, the attack was intended to draw attention to her plight. The conversation eventually shifted away from the twin attacks and toward other current events, such as the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard libel trial and the looming threat to Roe v. Wade.

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