Comedian Corey Holcomb found himself in hot water after surveillance footage was released that shows him punching female comic Cristina Payne in the face.
Payne has now broken her silence amid safety concerns, as the disturbing incident, which reportedly took place outside the Hollywood Improv in December 2024, made headlines after The Bizi Room released it on Thursday.
The clip shows a confrontation between the two comics in the street, before Holcomb seemingly throws a right-handed punch that hits Payne in the face, triggering a chaotic brawl.
Now, as the video continues to gain traction, Payne has shared new context, noting that Holcomb had a gun, which he passed to another performer.
On Friday, an emotional Payne appeared on TMZ Live, reacting to the footage becoming public, as she revealed that the 57-year-old has been threatening her, claiming she now fears for her life.
"It's horrible the way he treats women, the way he talks about us, and then to the point where it's like, really, you're going to hit me because I'm telling you about God, and you need to change your ways. It's just horrible, and I'm just disappointed in how nothing was done," the female comic noted.
She added, "That video really needs to start from when I walk out there initially instead of right there, because there's a gun involved that he passed off to another female comedian and was like 'Oh go put that up for me before he hit me.'"
Cristina Payne's emotional appearance comes as media outlets highlight the original reason for the conflict between the two comics.
As per a TMZ report, Holcomb and Payne's fallout began with a feud that allegedly escalated during the summer of 2024, with sources claiming Holcomb made violent remarks about Payne and later confronted her in person.
