Chris Redd Rushed to the Hospital After Assault Outside the Comedy Cellar

Last night in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, Saturday Night Live alumnus and standup star Chris Redd was violently attacked outside the Comedy Cellar by a man wearing a security guard uniform. Law enforcement sources told TMZ that the comedian arrived at the venue around 9:40 pm, but when he stepped out of his car, the assailant rushed at him and struck him in the face before fleeing.

TMZ released images and a video of the aftermath following the assault that show blood splattered across the pavement and an injured Redd holding his nose while bystanders aided the comedian. The assailant left the scene before the arrival of law enforcement, no suspects are in custody and no motive has yet been released for the vicious attack.

Redd was taken to the Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, where he was treated and released. His performance at the Comedy Cellar that night was canceled. 

There have been a number of attacks on comedians in the last year — Will Smith’s onstage assault of Chris Rock at this year’s Oscars dominated the news cycle. Dave Chappelle was attacked while performing at the Hollywood Bowl by a man wielding a knife. Standup comic Ariel Elias went viral after an irate group of Trump-supporting hecklers threw a beer can at her during a set, an incident that would lead to her late-night debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. 

Now Redd, a five-year SNL veteran and an accomplished standup, has been brutally assaulted before even making it to the stage, adding to the upsetting pattern of attacks on comics. 

We wish Redd a speedy recovery, and we hope to hear news of his attacker’s arrest soon.