Dave Chappelle took the stage at the Comedy Cellar in New York's West Village Saturday night and joked about those headline-making rumors that suggested his mysterious Comedy Central exit was due to a crack habit.

      "I'm a skinny black dude, so I couldn't defend myself!" he told the crowd, according to the New York Daily News.

      One audience member said he should've read "The Secret" to get through the drama of his dramatic departure from the $50 million Comedy Central contract.

      "Positive imagery? That's the secret?" asked Chappelle. "Go to Africa and tell some starving kids that s**t."