The man who attacked comedian Dave Chappelle during a live stand-up performance claims he had been “triggered” by the comedian’s jokes about the LGBTQ community.
Isaiah Lee, 23, shocked audiences around the world when he ran onto stage and tackled Chappelle during the Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival at the Hollywood Bowl on May 3. Lee was armed with a replica handgun that concealed a real knife and attacked the comedian. Chappelle’s bodyguards quickly intervened, preventing the comedian from being harmed. Lee was immediately arrested following the incident.
Lee, a rapper also known as “NoName_Trapper,” has now claimed his motivation for attacking Chappelle was because he had been “triggered” by Chappelle’s comedic material. During an interview with The New York Post on May 23, Lee stated, “I identify as bisexual … and I wanted him to know what he said was triggering. I wanted him to know that next time, he should consider first running his material by people it could affect.”
Lee claims he did not intend to use the knife during the attack and he was only carrying it for his own personal safety as he is a “minor celebrity.” But on May 20, Lee was also charged with attempting to murder his roommate by stabbing just months prior to attacking Chappelle. Lee pleaded not guilty to the stabbing charge, and is scheduled to return to court in June.
After the initial incident, the footage of Lee tackling Chappelle went viral on social media and was viewed over 2.7 million times on just one Twitter account.
While many users expressed concern for Chappelle’s safety, others took to Twitter to argue that the attack was justified due to Chappelle’s “transphobic” material.
“Dave Chappelle deserved to get Will Smithed after all the “jokes” he’s been making about trans people. Because at this point they’re far from jokes.” one user stated, with another writing: “Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy, he also used this opportunity after getting attacked to make more transphobic remarks. If you like Dave Chappelle you aren’t necessarily transphobic but I assure you your trans friends feel less than comfortable with it.”
In coverage of Lee’s statements, Queer outlets LGBTQ Nation thinly suggested Chappelle’s set was to blame for his own attack, writing: “Chappelle made several anti-transgender and anti-gay jokes during his Netflix special The Closer, including announcing that he’s a trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF), ranting about trans women’s genitalia, and joking about beating up gay men and lesbians. He continued the theme, mocking transgender people and the homeless during the show.”
Dave Chappelle isn’t the only comedian taking flak from trans activists due to his jokes about transgenderism. Ricky Gervais has been under fire since his latest comedy special, Super Nature, aired on Netflix on May 24.
Just minutes into his set, Gervais jokes: “Oh, women! Not all women, I mean the old-fashioned ones. The old-fashioned women, the ones with wombs. Those fucking dinosaurs. I love the new women. They’re great, aren’t they? The new ones we’ve been seeing lately. The ones with beards and cocks.”
Just hours after the set finished, LGBTQ activist organization GLAAD issued a statement condemning Gervais, and calling his jokes ‘dangerous.’
“We watched the Ricky Gervais ‘comedy’ special on Netflix so you don’t have to. It’s full of graphic, dangerous, anti-trans rants masquerading as jokes … The LGBTQ community and our allies have made it very clear that so-called comedians who spew hate in place of humor, and the media companies who give them a platform, will be held accountable.”
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