Ava Max Attacked by Fan on Stage During L.A. Show: 'He Slapped Me So Hard'

Updated

Another day, another pop star hit in the face during their concert.

On Tuesday, during Ava Max’s Los Angeles show, the 29-year-old singer was slapped by a man attending her show. In a video of the incident, an unnamed man is seen being taken off stage, but not before hitting Max in the face.

"He slapped me so hard that he scratched the inside of my eye. He’s never coming to a show again," the singer tweeted early Wednesday morning along with two angry face emoji. "Thank you to the fans for being spectacular tonight in LA though!!"

A fan at the show described the wild scene during the final song of Max’s set, writing, "The guy rushed on stage at the end right when the last song ended. The security guard tackled him and literally THREW him down the stairs. Wild!!! It happened so fast. You can see here she couldn’t even open her eyes but she STILL did M&G."

This is the second incident this week that has involved a female pop singer getting hit in the face. On Sunday, Bebe Rexha was struck in the face by a cellphone while she was on stage performing in New York City.

The "In the Name of Love" singer took to Instagram on Monday morning to show the extent of her injuries and give fans an update, simply writing, "I'm good," alongside a photo of her swollen, black-and-blue eye with a cut just below her eyebrow.

 

The incident took place while Rexha was performing a sold-out show at Pier 17's The Rooftop in Lower Manhattan. Video shows Rexha being hit in the face with the cellphone and falling to her knees. Backstage crew members quickly came out to help the singer.

 

A spokesperson for the NYPD told ET of the incident, "On Sunday, June 18, 2023 at approximately 10 p.m., police were notified of an assault that occurred at the concert space of Pier 17 located at 89 South Street, within the confines of the 1st Precinct. A preliminary investigation on scene determined that a 27-year-old male intentionally threw a cell phone at a 33-year-old female performer on stage, striking her about the face. The individual was taken into custody on scene and removed to the 1st Precinct for arrest processing. The aided female was removed by EMS to an area hospital in stable condition."

ET confirmed 27-year-old Nicolas Malvagna from Manalapan, New Jersey, was arrested and charged with felony assault for allegedly hitting Rexha with the cellphone. He was arraigned and released on his own recognizance and a full temporary order of protection was issued. His next court date is July 31.

In the complaint, it states Malvagna told police, "I was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny."

Malvagna's lawyer, Todd Spodek (who notably represented Anna Delvey), told ET, "Nicolas, like many other fans, was hoping to interact in some way with Ms. Rexha as the phone was returned. It was never his intention to injure Ms. Rexha in any way."

Rexha shared a follow-up video with fans to TikTok, where she showed her injured eye but assured fans, "I'm OK, you guys." In the video, she sings, "I'm good, yeah I'm feeling all right."

The singer is currently performing her "Best F*n Night of My Life" tour.

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