Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle perform secret stand-up gig and joke about attacks

Kim Kardashian and Sean 'Diddy' Combs were in the audience

Dave Chappelle, left, and Chris Rock appeared together onstage at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles as part of a 'secret gig'. Photos: AP; Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences via Reuters

Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle appeared together for a gig at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles this week, where they shared jokes about their recent experiences of being attacked on stage.

Just a few days after being tackled by a man brandishing a fake gun with ejecting knife while performing at the Hollywood Bowl, Chappelle was the surprise guest at the Belly Room, an intimate space that seats only 70 people, on Thursday night.

The A-list crowd included Kim Kardashian, Sean "Diddy" Combs, rapper Yasiin Bey, aka Mos Def, and comedian Jeff Ross.

Chappelle's addition to the line-up was last-minute, but rumours had already started to circulate ahead of the performance, and fans paid up to $160 for a ticket to the "secret show" with an unnamed star comedian, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which referred to the moment Rock and Chappelle were on stage as "historic".

Chappelle then surprised guests by taking to the stage, where he was later joined by fellow comic Rock.

Both men traded jokes about their recent onstage experiences. Chappelle was performing last week when he was tackled to the ground by Isaiah Lee, who had a fake gun with ejecting knife.

Rock was famously attacked at the 2022 Academy Awards, when Will Smith slapped the comedian for joking about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith's alopecia-caused hair loss.

In an unexpected moment at the 2022 Academy Awards, actor Will Smith slaps comedian Chris Rock. AFP

Smith confronts Rock onstage at the Oscars after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. AFP

Rock likened Jada Pinkett Smith's hair to a GI Jane haircut, which prompted her husband to take to the stage to confront Rock in a seemingly unscripted moment. Reuters

Smith leaves the stage at the Oscars after slapping Rock for a remark he made about his wife Jada. She lost her hair because of alopecia. AP

Smith and Jada arrive at the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California. AFP

Smith wins Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in King Richard, at the 2022 Oscars. AFP

Smith, in tears, pays tribute to his wife Jada during his acceptance speech. AFP

Smith with wife Jada after he won the Oscar award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. AFP

Serena Williams at the Oscar Awards on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. AP

Serena and sister Venus Williams introduce a performance by Beyonce at the Oscars. AP

US tennis star Venus attends the 94th Oscars. AFP

At the Belly Room gig, Chappelle joked that Rock should be happy he was assaulted by someone famous. “At least you got smacked by someone of repute. I got smacked by a homeless guy with leaves in his hair.”

In reply, Rock joked that he'd “got smacked by the softest [expletive] that ever rapped".

Shortly after Chappelle’s attack, which happened during the Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival, Rock, who was also in the line-up, grabbed the microphone and said, “was that Will Smith?”

The pair also touched on other subjects — such as the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard libel trial and the threat to Roe v Wade — but the main subject was Chappelle's attack.

Chappelle also revealed he'd spoken with his attacker after the incident. Lee had said he did it to raise awareness about his grandmother who had been forced out of her Brooklyn neighbourhood owing to gentrification.

Lee has since been charged with battery, possession of a weapon with intent to assault and two other misdemeanour counts, but has pleaded not guilty. Lee's bail is set at $30,000, which will be reviewed at a hearing on May 10, and a pretrial hearing is scheduled for May 20.

Smith, following his assault on Rock, resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and has been banned from attending the Oscars for a decade. He made a public apology and is now rumoured to be in therapy. Until recently, Rock had refused to address the incident in public.

Best-dressed men at the 94th Academy Awards — in pictures:

Actor Will Smith attends the 94th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, in suit and tie. AFP

Riz Ahmed, wearing an oversized burgundy suit. EPA

'Dune' actor Timothee Chalamet wearing Louis Vuitton but no shirt on Oscars night. Getty

Actor Rami Malek brings Prada to the red carpet. AFP

Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee turns convention on its head with baby-blue Bottega Veneta. AFP

Actor Jason Momoa wears a black tuxedo and shirt to the Academy Awards. EPA

Daniel Kaluuya, star of The Judas and The Black Messiah, brings contrasts in teal satin Gucci. EPA

Actor Bill Murray in a Dior suit and a beret. AP

Andrew Garfield, a 2017 Academy Award nominee, wears claret velvet Saint Laurent. EPA

Actor and producer David Oyelowo wears a bold yellow-and-black floral suit. AFP

Bradley Cooper, accompanied by his mother Gloria Campano, wears a Gucci tuxedo. Reuters

'Dune' actor Josh Brolin wears a black tuxedo. Getty

American television host Karamo Brown wears Brunello Cucinelli. AFP

Oscar-nominated writer and director Pawo Choyning Dorji wears traditional Bhutanese dress. AFP

Actor Wesley Snipes goes head-to-toe burgundy. Reuters

Actor and director Tyler Perry wears a white tie and a Ukraine ribbon. EPA

'Belfast' actor Jamie Dornan on the red carpet in Valentino. EPA

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal wears a bow tie-less navy tuxedo. AFP

Canadian actor and Marvel movie star Simu Liu wears a red tuxedo. Getty

Elliot Page, a 2008 Academy Awards nominee, wears Gucci. AFP

Oscar winner Sir Kenneth Branagh wears a navy three-piece suit. EPA

Actor Ciaran Hinds wears navy Brunello Cucinelli. AFP

Actor Jay Ellis wears a white tuxedo. AFP

Musician and TV star Travis Barker wears black Maison Margiela. AFP

'Dune' director Denis Villeneuve wears a white tuxedo jacket. AFP

'Belfast' star Jude Hill wears a Thom Browne tuxedo. Reuters

Colombian singer Sebastian Yatra wears a pink tuxedo. AFP

Australian actor Jacob Elordi in a classic black tux. AFP

Canadian singer Shawn Mendes wears a classic black tuxedo. AFP

Spanish actor Javier Bardem on the red carpet. Getty

Actor Woody Harrelson goes head-to-toe black. AFP

Olympian and pro snowboarder Shaun White wears a classic black tuxedo. AFP