Chris Rock Cracks Will Smith Joke Onstage After Dave Chappelle 'Attack'

Dave Chappelle's alleged attack onstage at the Netflix Is A Joke festival prompted Chris Rock to joke about his own experience with Will Smith at the Oscars.

Video footage shared across social media shows comedian Chappelle performing at Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday evening, when a man is seen rushing toward him from the side and appears to attempt to tackle the star.

Other videos show security dragging the alleged attacker away, before he is seen being loaded into an ambulance in the aftermath.

According to a tweet shared by KABC producer Stephanie Wash in the moments that followed the incident, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed "they responded to an incident at the Hollywood Bowl around 10:45 p.m., and a man who was reportedly armed with a gun and a knife was taken into custody."

And while the incident may have proved harrowing for those in attendance, Chappelle's fellow comedian Rock kept the laughs coming when he likened the incident to his own experience with Smith at the Academy Awards in March.

In footage shared on TikTok and Instagram by @rebhorndesign founder Sean Azari, Rock, who had performed earlier in the night, is seen walking toward the center of the stage before quipping: "Was that Will Smith?"

In a moment that overshadowed March's Academy Awards, Smith struck Rock in the face onstage at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre, after the comedian cracked a joke at the expense of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith followed up by shouting that Rock should "keep my wife's name out your f****** mouth."

Rock was slapped at the star-studded event after he made a joke about Pinkett Smith's close-cropped haircut. Pinkett Smith has spoken in the past about shaving her head after suffering hair loss due to alopecia.

Several minutes later, Smith returned to the stage to collect an Oscar for his role in King Richard. During his acceptance speech, he issued to an apology to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and his fellow nominees. The following day, he issued an apology to Rock via an Instagram post.

Much like Rock at the Oscars, footage appears to show that Chappelle attempted to keep the laughs coming after the incident, telling the audience: "I don't know if that was part of the show or... I grabbed the back of that n****s head, his hair was spongy, absorbent.'"

Chappelle then added: "Listen, I just want to say I've had an incredible time."

In his speech, he also thanked fellow screen star Jamie Foxx, who made his way onto the stage to see if Chappelle was OK after the incident.

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Chappelle and the Los Angeles Police Department for comment.