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Howie Mandel admitted he’ll probably be touring less following the attack on Dave Chappelle in the middle of the comedian’s performance Tuesday night.
Mandel explained during an interview with Extra’s Billy Bush what his biggest fear is following the attack on Chappelle and Will Smith’s attack on Chris Rock at the Academy Awards.
“That hit… no pun intended… that hit very deeply,” the “Deal or No Deal” host explained when Bush asked him how the attack on Chappelle made him feel.
Howie Mandel admitted he’ll “do less” when it comes to touring following the attack on Dave Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl.
DAVE CHAPPELLE SEEN FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER BEING ATTACKED ON STAGE AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL
“My biggest fear, 40 years ago, was not getting a laugh, was somebody not liking what I said, was maybe somebody being offended and confronting me outside and going ‘You know, that joke was really offensive.’ And then cancel culture came along. Then it was like ‘Oh, my God, if somebody doesn’t like your joke or you overstep the line, you could lose your career.'”
“And then after the Academy Awards … violence triggers violence,” he added, referencing Smith’s slap after Rock told a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith.
“And this is one step that kind of opens the door and triggers somebody that if they don’t like what you’re saying, or they’re offended by what you’re saying … it’s kind of OK because it’s been done to be violent. And that’s what my fear was.”
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Howie Mandel attends the “America’s Got Talent” Season 11 live show on Aug. 23, 2016, in Hollywood, California. (Mike Windle/Getty Images)
Mandel, who hosts the new “Bulls— The Game Show,” claimed that the attack on Chappelle “confirmed” his fears.
“And then watching what happened to Dave last night confirmed my fear. I turned to my wife – I was watching it kind of live on Twitter – and I turned to my wife and I said, ‘I don’t wanna. I don’t wanna go on stage. I’m just really afraid.'”
Chappelle was attacked by an audience member while performing on stage at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday night.
The Los Angeles Police Department have arrested 23-year-old Isaiah Lee in connection with the attack. A spokesperson for the LAPD confirmed to Fox News Digital that the suspect was carrying a replica gun with a knife inside. Lee has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon.
Due to the attack, Mandel admitted he’s going to “do less” when it comes to touring.
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Howie Mandel performs on stage at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek on Oct. 4, 2019, in Coconut Creek, Florida. (Johnny Louis/Getty Images)
“I’m actually going to do less because the love is not as fervent as it was, you know, six months ago,” the “America’s Got Talent” judge revealed. “Because fear overtakes. And I’m a guy who, you know, lives with worry anyway. I’ve been open about my mental health. I am neurotic. I suffer from depression.”
“The night after the Academy Awards I didn’t sleep for two nights and, you know, I really didn’t, and it hit me at the core, no pun intended, and then when I watched what happened last night… We’re just trying to make people smile, we’re just trying to make people laugh – this is the opposite of violence, and it just… I don’t have words.”
