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Dave Chappelle’s stage attacker has been sentenced to nine months in jail.
Isaiah Lee, 24, who rushed the 49-year-old comic at the Hollywood Bowl on May 3 after being inspired by Will Smith’s Oscars slap, pleaded no contest at a court hearing on Wednesday and was sentenced to 270 days behind bars.
Lee, who police said was armed with a replica gun and knife, faced charges of assault and entering a restricted area, according to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.
He avoided a felony punishment as he didn’t produce the weapons he was said to be carrying during the on-stage assault.
A no contest plea does not require an admission of guilt but still results in a conviction.
Lee, a self-identified bisexual – who is also awaiting trial on a separate attempted murder charge for allegedly stabbing his roommate in 2021 – had said he had been “triggered” by Chappelle’s jokes about the LGBTQ+ community.
He explained in an interview from jail with the New York Post: “I wanted him (Dave) to know that, next time, he should consider first running his material by people it could affect.”
In May, aspiring rapper Lee sat down with the Post at the Twin Towers Correctional facility, Los Angeles, and praised actor Will Smith, 54, for slapping comic Chris Rock, 57, at this year’s Oscars ceremony after the stand-up made a gag about Will’s wife Jada’s crew cut, comparing it to GI Jane’s shaved head in the movie of the same name starring Demi Moore.
Lee said: “That’s not right what (Chris) said about his (Will’s) wife, calling her ‘GI Jane’… I wanted him to know that next time, he should consider first running his material by people it could affect.
“I wanted Dave Chappelle and people to know that these are things you need to be more sensitive about and not joke about.”
Lee also admitted the incident was “clout-chasing” as he tried to build his profile as a rapper under the alias No Name Trapper.
He said: “I’m not going to lie… it was a bit of clout-chasing. In Hollywood, you know they say there is no such thing as bad publicity. I rap about these things in my music and knew it would get attention.”
Lee claimed he did not have mental health issues, but said he suffers bipolar depression disorder but was on his medications at the time of the attack.
He added: “There are plenty of famous people who have bipolar disorder – Kanye West, Demi Lovato, Eminem – and they are able to speak about it.
“Just because you are bipolar, it doesn’t stop you from… reaching success.”
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