Chris Rock Turned Dave Chappelle's On-Stage Attack Into A Hilarious Will Smith Roast Session
The world of stand-up comedy experienced another unfortunate night earlier this week. On May 3, 2022, Dave Chapelle was attacked onstage during a stand-up routine. The popular comedian was performing at the Hollywood Bowl as part of the Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival when an individual rushed onto the stage and charged at him — the man, who has since been identified as Isaiah Lee, was carrying a replica handgun which concealed a knife. According to BBC, Lee was subsequently charged with four counts of misdemeanor, but he will not face felony charges.
The incident didn't faze Chappelle too much, though. Not only did he continue with his set following the attack, but he even allowed Chris Rock to come on-stage and make a joke about the situation. Referencing his own recent well-documented attack at this year's Oscars ceremony — which saw Will Smith storm the stage and slap him — Rock joked that Chappelle's attacker could have been Smith (per Entertainment Tonight). The roasting of Smith didn't stop there, however, as Rock has continued to have fun at the rap-turned-actor's expense in the wake of the Chappelle incident.
Chris Rock joked about the Will Smith slapping incident during a secret show with Dave Chappelle
Two nights after the Hollywood Bowl incident, Dave Chappelle performed a secret standup set at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show was a star-studded event that was attended by several A-list celebrities, including Kim Kardashian and Sean "Diddy" Combs. However, of all the famous names present, it was Chris Rock who captured most of the attention.
Per THR, Rock joined Chappelle on-stage and the pair proceeded to make jokes about their respective attackers. At one point, Chappelle joked about being envious of the Rock incident as he would rather have been attacked by Will Smith than by some random audience member. "At least you got smacked by someone of repute!" Chappelle said to Rock. "I got smacked by a homeless guy with leaves in his hair."
However, Rock revealed that he would rather have been targeted by Chappelle's attacker as Smith doesn't have a tough-guy reputation. "I got smacked by the softest n—- that ever rapped," Rock joked.