Kevin Hart Praises Dave Chappelle's 'Professional' Response to Onstage Attack and Talks Hecklers
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Kevin Hart is giving props to his fellow comedian Dave Chappelle for keeping his cool after being attacked onstage.
Hart, 42, praised Chappelle, 48, on Thursday's Jimmy Kimmel Live!, saying that Chappelle — who was attacked onstage while performing at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Tuesday — handled it like a pro.
"Dave went back after that and finished doing the show and didn't let that thing be a big thing," said the Jumanji: The Next Level actor. "He quickly moved on from it and got back to doing comedy, and that's what a professional does."
"Ultimately, these moments of [un]professionalism should not break professionals. They shouldn't shape or mold the world that we're now being seen or viewed in," Hart continued. "I think it's time to get back to a place of respect for your live entertainer."
Hart also told guest host Mike Birbiglia that he didn't really consider the incident a "scary" one — instead, said of Chappelle's assailant, "Somebody ran onstage and got they ass whooped."
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Roy Rochlin/Getty; Charley Gallay/Getty Kevin Hart (L); Dave Chappelle
The comedian further made the case that such a repercussion "sends a message" that there are consequences for disrupting a live performance, which will hopefully prevent such frightening situations from happening in the future.
"I think that the world we're in right now, there's a lot of lines that have gotten blurred and sometimes you gotta take a couple steps backward to take a step forward," Hart said, noting that the focus should instead be on how Chappelle "made history" at the Hollywood Bowl with his ticket sales.
As for his own experiences on stage, Hart recalled being hit with a buffalo wing — but "in stand-up comedy, it's always been the world of heckler and comedian. Comedian has always dealt with heckler. Heckler has always shouted out thing 'cause he felt that he could."
"A comedian's way of shutting that down was to say things back," he continued. "It wasn't bullying, it wasn't picking on — it was all done in fun. We've now lost sight of the relationship of audience to comedian, and that line has gotten blurred ... it becomes a hard case of, 'Well, why did you come?' "
RELATED VIDEO: Dave Chappelle Attacked on Stage During Netflix Is a Joke Festival in Los Angeles
The incident occurred towards the end of Chappelle's performance at the Netflix Is a Joke Festival Tuesday night when a man in a black hoodie rushed the stage at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, PEOPLE confirmed.
The assailant — alleged to be a man named Isaiah Lee — appeared to push the actor and comedian, knocking him to the ground. The attacker then attempted to flee, but was stopped by security guards and members of Chappelle's team.
In a memo shared with CNN Wednesday, a rep for Chappelle said, "As unfortunate and unsettling as the incident was, Chappelle went on with the show."
"Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock helped calm the crowd with humor before Chappelle introduced the last and featured musical guests for the evening," they added.
Police initially said that 23-year-old Lee would be charged with assault with a deadly weapon, a felony, but on Thursday, a Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office spokesperson issued a statement to PEOPLE saying, in part, that the office "has referred the case to the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office for misdemeanor filing consideration."
"After reviewing the evidence, prosecutors determined that while criminal conduct occurred, the evidence as presented did not constitute felony conduct. The District Attorney's Office does not prosecute misdemeanor crimes within the city of Los Angeles," the spokesperson added.
Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Dave Chappelle
Neither Chappelle nor any law-enforcement officers were injured. One spokesperson said the weapon used was "a replica handgun with a knife," describing it as a "replica handgun-slash-knife."
Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer announced new charges against Lee on Thursday, just hours after the L.A. District Attorney's Office referred the case to Feuer's office.
"What should've been an evening of laughter at the Hollywood Bowl this past Tuesday night was suddenly interrupted when suspect Isaiah Lee allegedly charged onto the stage and tackled comedian Dave Chappelle," Feuer said in a video posted to Twitter Thursday afternoon.
"The suspect allegedly was carrying a weapon. This alleged attack has got to have consequences, and this afternoon, my office has filed charges alleging battery, possession of a weapon with the intent to assault, and charges relating to interfering with a performance," he continued.
Added Feuer, "My office takes protecting public safety extremely seriously, and we are going to vigorously prosecute this case."
