Dave Chappelle’s alleged attacker Isaiah Lee speaks out on motive
The man accused of attacking Dave Chappelle at the Netflix Is a Joke festival on May 3 is speaking out about about why he did it.
Isaiah Lee, who was charged with assault with a deadly weapon after pointing a replica handgun at Chappelle, told the New York Post the comedian’s set was “triggering” for him. Lee denied having the weapon drawn when he approached the comedian.
“I identify as bisexual … and I wanted him to know what he said was triggering,” Lee told the outlet. “I wanted him to know that next time, he should consider first running his material by people it could affect.”
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Lee also claimed he went to the show at the Hollywood Bowl to have a “good time,” but became increasingly upset as Chappelle allegedly joked about his controversy regarding the LGBTQ community, homelessness and pedophilia.
The assailant told The Post he is a homeless single dad and had been a victim of molestation.
Lee has refuted claims that he suffers from mental health issues.
On May 3, Lee stormed the stage, lunged at Chappelle and tackled him to the ground, according to a press release from the Los Angeles Police Department.
Lee was detained for assault, but Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to pursue felony charges, a press release stated.
The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office filed four misdemeanor charges after the L.A. County DA’s office declined the case, Mike Feuer announced May 5. Lee plead not guilty to all the charges.
Legal trouble mounts:Dave Chappelle’s alleged attacker also charged with attempted murder in previous stabbing
The day after the attack, Chappelle responded through is his rep Carla Sims and said he refused to allow the incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment.”
“Dave Chappelle celebrated four nights of comedy and music, setting record-breaking sales for a comedian at the Hollywood Bowl,” Sims said.
“As unfortunate and unsettling as the incident was, Chappelle went on with the show,” Sims said.
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Weeks following the viral incident, Lee was also charged with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing his roommate in December, the DA’s office announced Thursday in a press release.
“The publicity generated by the attack on Mr. Chappelle helped police solve this crime,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. Lee has pleaded not guilty.
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According to social media video, Chappelle joked after he was tackled on stage that the attacker “was a trans man,” a reference to the backlash the comedian received following his controversial jokes about the transgender community in the Netflix special “The Closer.”
In the stand-up show, which aired on the streaming platform in October, the comedian attempted to juxtapose the pace of civil rights gained by LGBTQ people over those fought for by the Black community and expressed solidarity with “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, who drew backlash in 2019 for comments about gender. The comments spurred walkouts from Netflix employees.
More:Netflix continues to work with Dave Chappelle on new comedy series despite backlash
Contributing: Elise Brisco, Charles Trepany, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
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