Fox News contributor waded into the center of Tuesday's labor protest in Lansing and emerged with a chipped tooth, forehead cut and a sore face.
Crowder appeared to have argued with protesters near the tent pitched on the Capitol lawn by the pro-right-to-work group Americans For Prosperity. The tent's supports were cut during the protest, and it collapsed on several people inside.No one was hurt.
The video Crowder placed on YouTube showed he was punched repeatedly in the face by a protester, while another man speaking off-camera threatened to kill Crowder with a gun. Crowder said there was no police presence in the area during the altercation.
But the New York Times has raised questions about Crowder's video on its blog, The Lede.
"Unfortunately for Mr. Crowder, a look at the video broadcast on the Sean Hannity show appears to show quite clearly that he left out an important section of the footage when he put together his edit. A section of the Fox News broadcast preserved by the Web site Mediaite shows that Mr. Hannity’s producers at Fox News started the clip five seconds earlier than Mr. Crowder did. What the extra footage reveals is the man who punched Mr. Crowder being knocked to the ground seconds before and then getting up and taking a swing at the comedian."
He later tweeted Tuesday: "Even if you hate me, nothing I could have done warranted being suckerpunched and threatened with murder."
On the Frank Beckmann show Wednesday morning on WJR, Crowder vowed to press charges if his attackers are located.
Among other issues, abstinence is major concern for Crowder. He writes a column about refraining from sex outside of marriage and wrote this year that he and his wife remained chaste prior to their September wedding.