Club owner says he’s pressing criminal CHARGES against heckler who hurled a full beer at comedian
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The owner of the club where a heckler threw a beer can at a comedian who was making fun of his pro-Trump wife said he had filed charges against the man.
Ariel Elias was on stage at Uncle Vinnie’s Comedy Club in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, when a pro-Trump woman began interrupting the comedian.
When Elias fired back at the woman, the heckler’s husband threw a beer can at her, prompting club owner Dino Ibelli to press charges against the man.
Ibelli told Insider the man ran out of the club when he threw the can at Elias, who then drank it onstage as the crowd cheered her.
“She was a pro at picking up the can and drinking from it,” said Ibelli, noting that he has handed over surveillance footage of the incident to Pleasant Beach Police. “That she does, oh my god, great, a pro.”
The heckler and her husband have still not been identified.
Dino Ibelli (above) the owner of Uncle Vinnie’s Comedy Club said he is suing a heckler who threw a beer can at comedian Ariel Elias
The can narrowly missed Elias (above) when it hit the brick wall
Elias responded to avoid injury by puffing the beer, much to the delight of the crowd
Ibelli said right after the incident, the man and his wife ran out of the comedy club
Pleasant Beach Police did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
Elias joked that when the beer can was thrown at her, she “never needed another drink” in her life.
Concerned about the mood of the audience and the fact that she still had five minutes of her set, the comedian improvised and reached for the beer.
“As I bent down to pick up the can, I realized there was still something in it. I think my only move here is to bring it down,” she told Insider.
The fiasco started when a woman in the audience asked if Elias had voted for Donald Trump.
Elias said, ‘Did I vote for Donald Trump? What do you think?’ The woman said, “No.”
The comedian replied, ‘OK. Here’s a question for you: why would you ask me that here, knowing I’m the only Jew in this room? Are you trying to get me killed?’
She continued, “I vote in New York, my vote doesn’t matter there.”
Elias pictured during the first exchange with the heckler asking the comedian who she voted for in the 2020 presidential election
Shortly after Elias tried to get on with her show, the heckler’s husband threw his beer can at the age
Uncle Vinnie’s Comedy Club (pictured) is located in Point Pleasant, New Jersey
Then a man’s voice can be heard shouting: ‘It doesn’t matter here either. ‘
Elias continued, “It doesn’t matter – guys, everyone votes whoever you want to vote for, I don’t care who you vote for, I’m just glad we’re all here together.”
The woman rejected Elias’ olive branch and said, “So you voted for Biden.”
An exasperated Elias replied, “I don’t know, who cares?” When the heckler persisted, Elias finally gave in and said, “I don’t know, why does it matter?”
The intermediary said, “I could tell from your jokes that you voted for Biden.”
The fiasco started when a woman in the audience asked if Ariel Elias, pictured here, had voted for Donald Trump
The Kentucky-born comedian brought the house down when she chided the heckler with, “Okay. I can tell you voted for Trump from the fact that you’re still talking when no one wants you.”
The heckler reacted badly to Elias trying to continue her show by saying, “So rude! Tell me to stop talking! Nobody told me to stop.’
Elias decided to prove her point by saying, “Okay, make some noise if you want her to shut up.” That comment was met with applause.
The comedian accepted that she had asked the audience to stop by during the show with questions.
As Elias tried to get the show back on track, she started her next segment and said, “Here, I’ll tell you the rest of that bit, and then we’ll move on.” I’m so insecure, I went to get an IUD.’
Then the heckler’s husband threw a beer can onto the stage, narrowly missing her and slamming into the brick wall.
A man’s voice can be heard saying, “Come on, friend, you can’t do that here.” Some sort of activity takes place outside the screen.
Elias took what was left of the beer can and drank it to the delight of the rest of the audience.
Uncle Vinnie’s official Twitter account was later identified by the account as the heckler’s “white trash husband.”
Elias said in an interview that she was nervous during the exchange when Trump was raised, saying, “I know where I am. The club’s logo uses an image of a gun instead of the letter ‘L’.
Elias told rolling stone in an interview that her set wasn’t going very well before the Heckler incident.
She said there was a rowdy group of about 20 people having a “Mexican-themed birthday party” who were “wearing fake mustaches.” Elias said they told them to take it easy before her set started.
Speaking about her feelings when the bickering started, Elias said, “I know where I am. The club’s logo uses an image of a gun instead of the letter “L.” She’s clearly trying to lure me into something, [so I thought] let me see where she tries to get it on her own, and maybe I can use it to get out of here.”
Elias said of the beer puffs, “I knew I had to drink it. I was so relieved that there was still some left in it after it exploded against the wall. My adrenaline was running wild too, so while I don’t normally drink before or during sets, I felt like this was a valid exception.”
According to her official website, Elias is from Kentucky and lives in New York City. The New York Times once called her a “sly young comedian.”
In an interview with Buzzfeed on Sunday, Elias said Point Pleasant police had gone to the club to collect evidence.
She told the website that fellow comedian Gianmarco Soresi hugged her after she left the stage. Elias said she called her husband almost immediately to tell him what had happened.
One of the birthday groups apologized for their behavior and another member of the public gave her $20, Elias told Buzzfeed.
According to her official website, Elias is from Kentucky and lives in New York City. The New York Times once called her a ‘sly young comedian’
Elias’ actions received some positive response from comedy A-listers such as Jimmy Kimmel who tweeted to her, “Five stars for this impeccable performance.”
While Patton Oswalt tweeted, “Ariel wasn’t even doing political material. The drunken heckler longed for what every MAGAt craves: grievances and revenge. And they will change reality before their eyes to understand it. “You SOUND like you voted for Biden.”
In response to a tweet in which Elias said she was booked to return to Uncle Vinnie’s in April, Whitney Cummings tweeted, “Excellent, can I open for you?”
Cummings tweeted the can-throwing video, tweeting: “For anyone who wants to joke about comics for saying we didn’t sign up to be physically attacked and put on a pedestal, take a look at the mouth. @Ariel_Comedy you are a class act.’
Star Trek star George Takei called Elias a “hero among us” in a tweet.
Elias tweeted about the experience, saying, “I’d really appreciate it if someone could let my teachers know that drinking a beer is actually great for my career.”
As she told Rolling Stone, “I don’t hide who I am or change how I present myself. I don’t really talk about politics on stage either, it’s just not what I want my stand up to be.’
She added: ‘But my perspective is that of a Southern Jew, and I talk a lot about being a woman and body image. I really think I’m good enough at this to make people who disagree with me laugh and enjoy it. So yes, I have been put off by crowds, a few people have run away, every now and then someone shouts something. But I’ve never gotten half a beer for it.’