Chris Rock had a witty response after fellow comedian Dave Chappelle was attacked during his performance at the Hollywood Bowl. Rock was part of a major story in the entertainment industry last month after he made a joke at the expense of Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, during the Oscars and the actor walked on stage to slap Rock. After taking his seat, Smith shouted at Rock to “keep my wife’s name out of your mouth.” Smith has since apologized to Rock for the incident and the actor has been banned from the Oscars for the next 10 years.
More recently in comedy, during Chappelle’s performance as part of the Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival on Tuesday night, an audience member stormed the stage and tackled the comedian. The attacker then fled before being apprehended by security. Police later confirmed that the assailant was in possession of a weapon, describing it as a “fake gun with a real knife blade inside it.” The attack on Chappelle prompted an outcry of support for the comedian on social media, including celebrities and comedians who had attended the event. Jimmy Carr, a British comedian, has since expressed gratitude that nobody was hurt.
In a new video from CBS News posted to Twitter, Chris Rock can be seen taking the stage following the incident, jokingly asking “Was that Will Smith?” The short Twitter video briefly shows the assault on Chappelle before Rock, Carr, and Chappelle all take to the stage together, with Rock taking the microphone to share his joke, much to the amusement of the crowd. Check out the video below:
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Following Smith slapping Rock at the Oscars, those in the industry expressed concern about the ramifications the incident could have for comedians around the country. Smith’s actions could, they said, lead to an increase in audience members taking to the stage and assaulting comedians after what they perceived to be offensive jokes. While the assailant’s motivations remain unknown as of publication, it’s notable that the attack on Chappelle is the second such event in the span of just over a month.
Rock has been praised for his calm composure following the Oscars incident and it was only after the show, during his own stand-up comedy routine, that he addressed the issue, expressing that he was still “processing what happened.” While Rock has remained mostly quiet about the Oscars slap, his comments following the assault on Chappelle would indicate that he’s now okay with joking about the incident. While it remains unclear what sort of ramifications the attack on Chappelle will have and what it means for comedians in general, thankfully nobody was harmed during the incident.
