Paddy McGuinness says the attacker who jumped on stage during Dave Chappelle's gig and tackled him to the ground before waving a replica gun was the "direct result" of Will Smith's Oscars slap.
The British comedian, 48, expressed his concern for the future of stand up after Dave was "tackled" and sent "flying in the air" at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday.
Taking to Twitter after the incident, Paddy posted: "The wrong un who attacked Dave Chappelle on stage is, for me, a direct result of Will Smith assaulting Chris Rock at the Oscars.
"Only thing I’m surprised about is it’s taken a div that long to copy it?" he added.
Will Smith was banned from the Academy Awards for 10 years after slapping guest presenter Chris Rock across the face in front of a live audience and fans watching around the world.
Following the incident with Chapelle, the Los Angeles Police Department said 23-year-old Isaiah Lee has been arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and taken into custody.
A statement by Carla Sims, a spokesperson for 48-year-old Chappelle, said: “Dave Chappelle celebrated four nights of comedy and music, setting record-breaking sales for a comedian at the Hollywood Bowl.
“This run ties Chappelle with Monty Python for the most headlined shows by any comedian at the Hollywood Bowl, reaching 70,000 fans of diverse backgrounds during the first Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival, and he refuses to allow last night’s incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment.”
She added that as “unfortunate and unsettling” as the incident was, Chappelle carried on with the show by introducing the last musical guests for the evening, hip hop duo Black Star.
The statement also noted that Chappelle is “fully co-operating with the active police investigation into this incident”.
The incident happened as Chappelle was closing the show and thanking the comedians who had performed before him, including Chris Rock, Leslie Jones and Jon Stewart.
Hollywood star Jamie Foxx, a close friend of Chappelle, came on stage to check the comic was OK, before reportedly helping to apprehend the alleged attacker.
Video posted on social media appeared to show a man, reported by US media outlets to be the suspected attacker, with a badly injured arm being put in an ambulance.
Speaking about the attack, an LAPD spokeswoman said: “A famous comedian was performing at the Hollywood Bowl and when he finished his act a male jumped on to the stage and tackled the celebrity.
“The suspect produced a replica handgun and pointed the item at the victim. He was taken into custody and was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.”
A spokeswoman for the Hollywood Bowl also confirmed an investigation had been launched into the incident.
British comedian Jimmy Carr was among those at the show and he expressed his relief that nobody was seriously injured.
Sharing a selfie taken with Chappelle, he tweeted: “The Hollywood Bowl show with the legendary Dave Chappelle was crazy. Just happy everyone’s ok.”
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Dave is known for his close to the bone gags and has faced backlash for his comments on the transgender community in his Netflix comedy special The Closer.
The comedian had said “gender is a fact” and gave his backing to JK Rowling, who has also attracted fierce criticism for her remarks about the concept of biological sex.
Netflix employees were said to have reacted with anger to his comments and reportedly organised a walkout over the streaming giant’s decision to air the special.
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