Dave Chappelle Reveals He Spoke With Attacker Isaiah Lee, Dubs Him "Homeless Guy With Leaves In His Hair"

Dave's attacker claimed that his stunt was an attempt to get attention for his grandmother.

BYHayley Hynes
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Dave Chappelle has had a few days to process his attack at the Hollywood Bowl earlier this week, and it seems as though that was all he needed before he was ready to joke about the incident. On Thursday evening, he took to the stage again to give some insight into what happened on that fateful night, even revealing that he demanded to be able to speak with his assailant.

The comedian told audiences he "needed to talk to" Isaiah Lee in order to get some answers as to why he was attacked. Apparently, Lee said that the stunt was an attempt to get "attention for his grandmother who he said had been forced out of her neighbourhood because of gentrification," as per TMZ.

Dave Chappelle Reveals He Spoke With Attacker Isaiah Lee, Dubs Him "Homeless Guy With Leaves In His Hair"
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Chappelle's speech last night was heard by celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Diddy, Jeff Ross, and Chris Rock at the Comedy Store on Sunset Strip; in fact, the South Carolina-born actor even joined him on stage to crack a few jokes about their shared experience of being attacked at work.

"At least you got smacked by someone of repute. I got smacked by a homeless guy with leaves in his hair!" the 48-year-old quipped, to which Rock responded, "I got smacked by the softest n*gga that ever rapped."

Near the end of his show, Chappelle turned his attention to Sean Combs in the crowd, saying, "I am in the place where you sat in the car with Biggie Smalls as he died. I hate this city."

In other news, it's been noted that Lee's case has been rejected as a felony by the L.A. County D.A. – instead, it was handed off to the City Attorney for misdemeanour prosecution, where the attacker was charged with four crimes.

[Via]


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About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.