Kevin Hart had some things to say about what happened to his friend and fellow comedian Dave Chappelle at the Netflix is a Joke comedy festival. While Chappelle was performing on the stage, a 23-year-old man emerged from the crowd and tackled the comic to the ground. Security quickly intervened and removed the attacker who was removed from the building and arrested by police. Before he was booked, however, the man was left battered, bruised, and swollen by security, as seen in images shared on social media.
Hart spoke about the situation during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, which was being guest hosted by comedian Mike Birbiglia. The subject of the Chappelle incident came up, and Birbiglia remarked that it was "scary" for him to see. Hart disagreed, feeling that it wasn't scary, primarily because security apparently made quick work of the attacker. The Jumanji franchise star also praised the people who apparently roughed up the man on his way out of the building and hopes that this sends a message to anyone else who might want to try something similar.
"Not scary, but alright. Somebody ran on stage and got their ass whooped. Not scary. It's one of those things that needed to happen, though. Do you want people to continue to think that they can cross that line, and break the barrier of entertainer and... Somebody getting their ass whipped sends a message out to other people that was like, 'You know, I was thinking about doing that, but after seeing that, I don't really want to do that.'"
For his part, Hart also doesn't want to pay too much attention to the attack. He would rather put more focus on how Chappelle made history with how many tickets he helped sell that night for the festival. Hart also praises Chappelle for maintaining his professionalism despite what had happened, something that many had similarly praised Chris Rock for when he was attacked by Will Smith at the Oscars.
"Look, I think that the world that we’re in right now, there’s a lot of lines that have gotten blurred, and sometimes you got to take a couple steps backwards to take some steps forward. I think that moment that we just witnessed with Dave is fogging up a bigger moment. Dave just made history at the Hollywood Bowl. He sold over 70,000 tickets. And Dave went back after that and finished doing the show. Didn’t let that thing be a big thing. Quickly moved on from it and got back to doing comedy, and that’s what a professional does. Ultimately, these moments of unprofessionalism should not break professionals. They shouldn’t shape or mold the world that we’re now being seen or viewed in. It’s time to get back to a place of respect for your live entertainer.”
Kevin Hart is No Strangler to Hecklers
Kevin Hart also detailed the worst time he's dealt with a heckler. While he wasn't slapped or tackled on the stage, Hart was pelted with a chicken wing at a comedy club. He says that this is part of the territory with being a stand-up comedian, as comics have always been dealing with hecklers in different ways. Hart laments how comedians used to be able to say things back and straighten out the situation, but things have changed with the relationship between the on-stage performer and the heckler. Now, Hart wonders why people would bother going to a comedy show if they're not looking to just have a good time.
“We’ve now lost sight of the relationship of audience to comedian, and that line has gotten blurred to where it’s like, ‘Well, I don’t need to do this and like this, and I can stand up and make a point.' It becomes a hard case of, why did you come? Why did you buy a ticket if that was your want or need? When I say we need to get back to the place of respecting the entertainer, respect the craft. If you’re coming, come to have a good time and enjoy the person that you saw. If you have no interest in that, you don’t have to buy a ticket. You don’t have to go."
You can watch the complete segment with Kevin Hart from Jimmy Kimmel Live below.