Dave Chappelle’s Attacker Reveals ‘Triggered’ Reason He Tackled Comedian

Isaiah Lee, the man accused of attacking Dave Chappelle during the comedian’s May 3 performance at the Hollywood Bowl, said he was “triggered” by Chappelle’s jokes about the LGBTQ community and homelessness. Lee, 23, faces four misdemeanor charges related to his attack, as well as additional charges related to the alleged stabbing of a roommate in 2021. The single father claims he did not go to the show with the intent of tackling Chappelle, but police say he carried a replica gun with a knife attached.

“I identify as bisexual … and I wanted him to know what he said was triggering,” Lee told the New York Post from the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles on Saturday. “I wanted him to know that next time, he should consider first running his material by people it could affect.” Lee said he hoped to have a “good time” at Chappelle’s show, but he became increasingly angry as Chappelle joked about the response to his controversial jokes about trans people.

Accused Dave Chappelle attacker reveals why he tackled comedian https://t.co/rqxp466btc pic.twitter.com/9aJvL2dCgX

— New York Post (@nypost) May 22, 2022

“I’m also a single dad and my son is five,” Lee told the Post. “It’s a struggle and I wanted Dave Chappelle to know it’s not a joke.” The breaking point came when another comedian joked about pedophilia, which brought back memories of being molested as a teenager, Lee said. He told the Post he was molested at 17 when under the care of the Department of Children and Family Services in Los Angeles.

Lee admitted to carrying the replica gun with a knife in the Hollywood Bowl, but he said he did not have it out when he charged toward Chappelle. The aspiring rapper claimed he carries it because he believes he is a “minor celebrity” who needs protection. He said the security guards “spat on me and twisted me as if on purpose.” While Chappelle was not injured in the incident, Lee suffered a broken arm and two black eyes after security stopped him.

Two days after the incident, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer charged Lee with battery, possession of a weapon with intent to assault, unauthorized access to the stage area during a performance, and commission of an act that delays the event or interferes with a performer. These are all misdemeanors. However, a man accused Lee of allegedly stabbing him last year when they were roommates. This led to a new charge of attempted murder on May 19, so he is now facing felony charges.

Before the new charges were filed, Lee said the case involving the Chappelle attack was “pretty much done.” However, “it went from me probably only doing six months [in jail] and having to do community service and living in a transitional home …to possibly 15 or more years in jail,” Lee told the Post. “My son will be big by the time I get out.”

Lee also corroborated Chappelle’s story that he spoke with Lee backstage before police took him into custody. During a secret show a few days after the attack, Chappelle said Lee wanted to draw attention to his grandmother’s struggle to find a place to live in Brooklyn because of gentrification, reports The Hollywood Reporter. “I told him my mother and grandmother, who fought for his civil rights to be able to speak, would be upset at the things he said,” Lee told the Post. He claimed Chappelle told him, “Now your story will die with you, son.” Lee believes Chappelle is “wrong… I’m sitting here telling you about it.”

Lee called reports that he is mentally ill “inaccurate,” but his lawyer said he is receiving mental health services. Lee has no regrets, telling the Post he believes his actions brought attention to homelessness, child sex abuse, and LGBTQ rights. Chappelle did not comment on Lee’s interview, and Netflix pointed the Post to its previous statement on the incident. “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,” the streamer said earlier this month.