Saturday Night Live Star Reveals Gory Details Of His NYC Attack

Chris Redd says he was attacked outside the Comedy Cellar after a man pulled up in a car, jumped out, and punched Redd in the face.

By Mark McKee | Updated

You never know what you will face, some days some people just get it in their head to do harm, and it feels like there is nothing you can do about it, especially in big cities like New York. That is what comedian and actor Chris Redd found out the hard way before a recent appearance at the Comedy Cellar in New York City went awry when he was brutally attacked and rushed to the hospital.

Chris Redd remained tight-lipped after it happened, but after about a week of silence, Variety reports that the Saturday Night Live Alum is stepping out to talk about what happened. 

According to the report, Chris Redd, who left Saturday Night Live at the end of the 2021-2022 season, said that he was attacked by a man outside the comedy club where he was set to perform. According to Redd, while he was headed into the Comedy Cellar to perform on October 26 in New York, a man pulled up in his car, jumped out, punched the comedian in the face, and then hopped back in his car and drove away.

Redd says he has no idea who it was or what sparked the violent attack. The police had no insight into the suspect’s identity at the time either. 

At first, Chris Redd had been ready to go on stage after the incident and was prepared to write Saturday Night Live-level jokes about what had happened; he said he didn’t realize how much damage had been done. He reported that he didn’t realize he had fallen down, but when he had gotten back up, and his attacker was gone, he noticed the blood.

The amount of blood he saw sparked a rush to Bellvue Hospital for emergency care, although he said that if they had stopped the bleeding, he would have gone on stage, ready to make jokes about what happened. 

Apparently, the actor has taken punches before, but this one, if you’ll excuse the pun, hit a little differently. He was surprised at the blood and said he felt like something metal had hit him because a fist doesn’t cut all the way to the bone. The doctors at Bellvue Hospital treated him for multiple face fractures. Chris Redd said that it wasn’t about the pain but about the blood; he couldn’t chase after someone while bleeding that badly. 

Chris Redd’s time on Saturday Night Live is what he is best known for, and he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in 2018 for his original song, “Come Back Barack.” He has also appeared on Will & GraceBig MouthKenan, and The Simpsons.

While the actor and comedian is completely ok and ready to make jokes about his ordeal, it is a stark reminder that you can never be too safe. There doesn’t have to be a reason for someone to just get it in their head one day to visit harm upon you, but in Redd’s case, at least he got some good jokes out of it.