From Will Smith slapping Chris Rock to the safety of comedians on stage

According to Hollywood Reporter, in the past few years, comedians are often stressed about safety on stage. The first is copyright infringement when many spectators casually film and take photos to put the performer’s exclusive content on social networks. Therefore, at the recent concerts of major artists, phones are often confiscated as soon as the audience enters the door.

Besides that, however, the comedian’s creative space is literally becoming more and more dangerous.

The whole world was shocked when Will Smith assaulted Chris Rock on stage at the 22nd Academy Awards in March. In another stage security breach, actress Olivia Wilde at CinemaCon in Las Vegas received a mysterious note from her ex-husband Jason Sudeikis, who was not originally allowed to appear backstage. Most recently, Dave Chappelle was attacked by an armed man.

After the Oscars, some celebrities expressed concern that Will Smith’s actions could lead to other on-stage attacks. “Now, we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith,” said actress Kathy Griffin.

The anxiety seems unfounded because the Oscars event seems like a shocking exception. But now with the Dave Chappelle attack, concerns are growing about the safety of the performers.

Curtis Shaw Flagg, president of The Laugh Factory Chicago, said: “We’re letting the comedians go on stage without any protection. We’re allowing them to perform, but we’re not doing it. steps needed to ensure that they are protected The security team is responsible for not taking the appropriate measures to ensure that attackers are not even allowed to enter. only job and they failed completely.”

Comedy Cellar owner Noam Dworman doesn’t think the Oscars incident will be a source of on-stage physical assaults on comedians.

“What happened to Dave was actually much more disturbing than Will Smith slapping Chris Rock, it went beyond comedy. This was not a spontaneous reaction out of emotion. The assault has been counted. dangerously pre-calculated, maybe it’s part of a general trend of violence that is seeping through many layers of American life. I’m very, very glad he’s okay,” Noam said.

Netflix released the following statement: “We care deeply about the safety of our performers, and we vigorously defend the right of comedians to perform on stage without fear of violence.”

YouTube Theater, the venue for upcoming Netflix Is a Joke shows, released a statement saying: “YouTube Theater has tight security at all events to provide a safe entertainment experience. safe, comfortable and enjoyable”.