At fist, Joaquin Phoenix’s startling announcement, appearance and actions were shocking - suddenly and without warning he grew a bushy beard and said see ya to the industry that made him a star. Upon announcing he would no longer be acting, Phoenix stated that he would now be focusing on his music.

When the media and the fans actually heard him perform, suddenly Phoenix’s act started to become funny. He won laughter when he appeared on Letterman and became a winning Oscar joke thanks to Ben Stiller a few nights later. But now, many think Phoenix is taking things way, way too far.

Did it all just stop being funny?

During a performance at the LIV club in Miami, Phoenix recently jumped off stage to confront an audience member. Reportedly, the rapper/actor had to be dragged back on stage before he was escorted out. The camera crew that’s been almost constantly at the ex-actor’s side, led by Casey Affleck, was present. The same crew accompanied Phoenix to his now-infamous Letterman appearance.

A rep for Phoenix confirmed his new found career path - rap music - in October. Joaquin’s most recent performance in Miami Beach began around 2:00 in the morning. He reportedly leapt off stage after saying “We have a [expletive deleted] in the audience,” allegedly in response to a heckler in the crowd. 

For many fans in attendance, it looked like quite a scene as security officials swarmed the actor-turned-rapper, but the Miami Beach PD did not receive any calls in regard to the incident, and there is no record of any arrests being made in connection to the incident. The current rep for Phoenix has not responded to questions about the alleged documentary which is in the works, or whether or not Phoenix will eventually return to the acting game.

Many fans have speculated that Phoenix’s strange behavior is designed around an Andy Kaufman-like stunt that’s being recorded by Affleck. There’s no word on the name of the alleged documentary project or when it will be released. Phoenix has been accused of everything from staging stunts for publicity to being a little bit off his rocker, but at worst I think he’s only guilty of poor comedic taste. Like Kaufman, he may not quite know when certain “jokes” are being taken a little too far.