Dave Chappelle said he actually spoke to his alleged Hollywood Bowl abuser backstage after Tuesday’s attack – and the budding rapper gave a rambling reason as to why he did it, according to a report .
The famous comedian told the crowd at a secret comedy show in Los Angeles on Thursday night that he convinced security to let him approach Isaiah Lee, 23, before he was taken away by cops, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
“I needed to talk to him,” the 48-year-old told the crowd.
Chappelle said he asked Lee why he did it – and the accused abuser launched into a story about how his grandmother was kicked out of her Brooklyn neighborhood because of gentrification, a reported the publication.
Lee’s onstage attack was meant to shed some light on his situation, Chappelle said.
The comedian said Lee – who released a rap song named after Chappelle two years ago – appeared to be mentally ill.
Lee’s older brother, Aaron Lee, revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone on Wednesday that his brother suffers from mental illness and takes medication.
He said Lee, a Brooklyn native, moved to California when he was young after their grandmother died.
Lee has been in and out of Los Angeles homeless shelters for the past decade, his brother added.
The 23-year-old pleaded not guilty on Friday to four misdemeanor charges after he allegedly tackled Chappelle on his Tuesday show while armed with a bizarre knife that looks like a handgun.
He faced court with a swollen eye and his arm in a black sling after being roughed up by security moments after the attack.
Elsewhere on Thursday’s stand-up show, Chappelle joked that he was “slapped by a homeless man with leaves in his hair” while joking with Chris Rock about his infamous meeting Will Smith at this year’s Oscars.
“At least you got punched by someone big name,” Chappelle told his fellow comedian. Rock fired back, “I got slapped by the sweetest na who ever rapped.”
New York Post