Man who attacked Dave Chappelle sentenced to about 9 months in prison
Isaiah Lee said Chappelle's comments toward the LGBTQ+ community were offensive and "triggered" him, leading to the violence.
A man who assaulted Dave Chappelle while the comedian was performing has received a sentence of about nine months in prison.
Isaiah Lee, 24, assaulted the comic at a crowded Hollywood Bowl show on May 3, according to The New York Post. On Wednesday, Lee was given a 270-day prison term after entering a no-contest plea to two charges.
A no-contest plea results in a conviction, even if a defendant does not admit guilt.
The Los Angeles city attorney’s office said that Lee — who authorities claimed was carrying an imitation gun and a knife — was charged with assault and entering a restricted area. He was not charged with a felony because he did not pull out any weapons during the attack.
Lee is facing another trial in an unrelated case. He is charged with attempted murder in an attack on his roommate in 2021, The Post reported.
The self-identified bisexual man contended that Chappelle’s comments towards the LGBTQ+ community were offensive and “triggered” him, inciting his violence.
Chappelle’s Netflix special, “The Closer,” in late 2021 contained explicit jokes that offended members of the LGBTQ community, mainly transgender persons, theGrio previously reported. He referred to trans women’s lady parts as “Beyond P—y or Impossible P—y” and himself as “Team TERF,” saying he identifies as a “trans-exclusionary radical feminist.”
Dave Chappelle was never really canceled
Lee said he doesn’t regret what happened, even though he insists he didn’t mean to hurt Chappelle that evening. He said he saw it as an opportunity to speak out against comedians who frequently use child sex abuse, the LGBTQ community and homelessness as subject matter.
“I wanted him to know that, next time, he should consider first running his material by people it could affect,” Lee said of Chappelle in a jailhouse interview, according to The Post.
He asserted that Will Smith’s infamous slap of Chris Rock at the Oscars motivated his on-stage attack on Chappelle.
Lee tackled the comedian as he wrapped up a monologue as part of the “Netflix Is a Joke” Festival, The Associated Press previously reported. The joke he was making at the time discussed how comics need to be more concerned about their security in light of the Oscar-winning actor slapping Rock on live television in response to a joke about his wife at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony.
“The comedian had literally just said he now has more security because of all the uproar from his jokes about the Trans community,” tweeted fest attendee Brianna Sacks, a Buzzfeed News staffer, AP reported. She added that “while the attacker was getting beat up,” Chappelle “made a joke about him probably being a Trans man.”
Rock, a fellow comedian also present, jokingly questioned if the assailant was Smith.
TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!
