by Nahla Abdulrahman
January 25, 2026
Payne claims Holcomb pointed a gun at her when the incident turned violent.
Christina Payne is speaking out about the assault allegations involving fellow comedian Corey Holcomb.
Newly released surveillance footage of the incident surprised viewers and Payne himself. She alleges that Mr. Holcomb became enraged during a roast outside the Hollywood Improv Comedy Club in Los Angeles in December 2024, leading to a confrontation.
The recently released video shows a man and woman, believed to be Payne and Holcomb, facing off while surrounded by protesters.
As tensions escalated, the man approached the woman and punched her in the face. After Payne stalled, a male bystander grabbed Holcomb and attacked him. As a result, others were drawn into the fight as well.
she spoke TMZ January 23rd About the ordeal, She was visibly shaken as she remembered the attack.
“It’s tough to watch it now, see that playback, and have to relive all of this all over again,” Payne said as he became emotional.
However, Payne explained that the video does not show the full extent of the incident. The California native claimed Holcomb had a gun and handed it to him when things escalated.
“There was a gun involved and he gave it to another comedian before he hit me,” she said, her voice breaking. “I’m literally fighting my whole life with my mouth to roast this guy…”
TMZ Host Harvey Levin asked if Payne would take legal action against Holcomb. In response, Ms. Payne spoke in a choked voice about her experiences since the assault. She explained how she felt silence afterward despite initially filing a battery report with the LAPD.
“I feel like Corey. [Holcomb]They threatened me and tried to silence me. I literally feared for my life and at times couldn’t leave the house. ”
However, police did not arrest Holcomb, and he unsuccessfully tried to get a restraining order against her. In the interview, Payne revealed that the two did in fact have restraining orders against each other. However, the legal proceedings were halted due to Payne’s apparent harassment of his lawyer.
“It’s literally horrible. The way he treats women, the way he talks about us. And to the point where he’s like, ‘You’re really going to hit me because I’m talking about God, so you need to change your ways.'”
Mr. Payne also shared how the LAPD’s lack of action resulted in no further progress on this issue. But the release of the video may bring renewed attention to the assault and restart Payne’s own quest for justice.
Questioned about whether Holcomb’s own claims that she caused the incident were true, Payne was adamant that he had done nothing to justify the violence against her.
“After all, he put his hands on me,” she declared. “I haven’t done anything to him.”
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