Kevin Hart Explains Why Dave Chappelle's Attacker Needed To Be Beat Up

Kevin Hart chimes in on Dave Chappelle's attacker getting beat up by security.

BYAron A.
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It was a hectic time at the Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival in Los Angeles this week. While fans were able to catch some of the best comics in the world share a stage, Dave Chappelle found himself getting attacked by a festival-goer. A man, who was identified as Isaiah Lee, stormed the stage in an attempt to tackle Dave Chappelle but it didn't take long for security to haul him off and beat him down.

Kevin Hart recently stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live where he chimed in on the matter. While Lee was taken out on a stretcher, Kevin Hart said that "it needed to happen." The comedian explained that Dave's security beating Lee down sent a strong message across to anyone considering breaching the line between audience and entertainer.

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"Somebody ran onstage and got their ass whooped,” Hart said. “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 audience]?”

He added, "Somebody getting their ass whooped sends a message out to other people that were like, ‘You know, I was thinking about doing that. But after seeing that, I don’t really want to do that.’”

Hart explained that people need to realize that people are just doing their jobs when they're on stage and that the audience needs to be completely aware of that.

"I think that the world that we’re in right now — there are a lot of lines that are being blurred, and sometimes you gotta take a lot of steps back to take a step forward,” he added. “I think it’s time to get back to a place of respect for your live entertainer and understand that you’re coming to a show.”

Check the clip below. 


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About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.