Chris Rock Called Dave Chappelle’s Attacker ‘Will Smith’ After He Was Tackled on Stage

Déjà vu. As if the slap wasn’t enough, Chris Rock witnessed Dave Chappelle being tackled at the Netflix Is A Joke festival in Los Angeles on May 2, 2022. The Everybody Hates Chris creator quipped back with a response that recounted his own experiences at the Oscars.

During his comedy set at the festival, Dave Chappelle was tackled by an audience member. Chappelle was helped by audience members, including Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock, moments after the assault happened. Though phones were prohibited in the performance space, a Twitter user managed to snatch a live photo of the moment. “Was that Will Smith?” Rock said in the mic after helping his friend up.

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The suspect who tackled Chappelle was identified as Isaiah Lee. He was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and is being held on $30,000 bail. Lee, 23, had a replica gun during the incident, and was detained and taken to a nearby hospital to treat “superficial injuries.” After The Dave Chappelle Show comedian recovered, he leaned into the mic and said “that was a trans man,” referring to his past controversies. Chappelle came under fire on Twitter for the transphobic comment.

This is one of the first times Rock has joked about the altercation with Will Smith. Smith slapped Rock at the 94th Academy Awards ceremony after Rock called Smith’s wife, Jada, “G.I. Jane.” “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—king mouth,” Smith yelled at his seat after he slapped Rock on stage. During Rock’s tour in Palm Springs, CA on April 8, 2022, he said, “I’m OK, I have a whole show and I’m not talking about that until I get paid.” Rock also said that he wasn’t going to press charges against Smith after the public incident.

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Smith apologized to Rock in an Instagram post on March 28, 2022, “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.” Smith was also subsequently banned from the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences events for the next ten years.

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