Popular comedian Dave Chappelle was recently attacked by an audience member during his performance at the Netflix is a Joke comedy festival at the Hollywood Bowl. The assailant, armed with a replica gun containing a concealed knife, rushed to the stage and attempted to tackle Chappelle. Luckily, the comedian came out unscathed in the altercation, although the same can’t be said for his attacker, who was roughed up by the security personnel.

Dave Chappelle has now released his first statement since the incident and urges fans to focus on the highs of the festival. He doesn’t want the attacker to overshadow his and all the other performers’ efforts at the Netflix is a Joke comedy festival. He also thanks Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock for keeping the crowd in check. Here’s what Chappelle’s representative, Carla Sims, told The Hollywood Reporter:

"The performances by Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl were epic and record-breaking and he refuses to allow last night’s 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. This run ties Chappelle with Monty Python for the most headlined shows by any comedian at the Hollywood Bowl, reaching 70,000 fans of diverse backgrounds during the first Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival."

"As unfortunate and unsettling as the incident was, Chappelle went on with the show. Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock helped calm the crowd with humor before Chappelle introduced the last and featured musical guests for the evening, hip-hop artists yasiin bey and Talib Kweli, a.k.a. Black Star, who performed music from their new album – the first in nearly 24 years – which was released on Luminary. Other special comedic guests last night included Earthquake, Leslie Jones, Jeff Ross, Sebastian, Jon Stewart and Michelle Wolf."

Netflix is a Joke: The Festival began on April 28 and features 130 comics who’ll be performing at various venues in Los Angeles over 11 days. Bill Burr, Aziz Ansari, Seth Rogen, Jimmy Carr, and Gabriel Iglesias are just a few of the high-profile names taking part in the festival. The event will last till May 8.

Related: Dave Chappelle Assailant Identified and Charged with Assault

Netflix Has Come Out In Support Of Dave Chappelle

South Park Co-Creator Believes Dave Chappelle Controversy Has Only Helped Netflix
Netflix

Dave Chappelle has produced a series of comedy specials in collaboration with Netflix, and each one has been more controversial than the last. Chappelle has caught flak for his constant punching down of the LGBTQ+ community, especially for his transgender jokes. Even after a tense situation, Dave couldn’t help himself and quipped, "He was a trans man," about his attacker. While Chris Rock, who suffered a similar fate recently, made a Will Smith joke.

However, even after all the protests and backlash, Netflix has stood by Chappelle and defended his right to creative freedom. The streamer has also released a statement condemning the attack.

"We care deeply about the safety of creators and we strongly defend the right of stand-up comedians to perform on stage without fear of violence."

Hopefully, Netflix will take steps to better protect the artists who are set to take the stage in the coming days. As of now, the suspect has been identified as Isaiah Lee, 23, and is being held on $30,000 bail. Chappelle is fully cooperating with the police investigation.