DAVE CHAPPELLE - CHAPPELLE ENJOYING INTIMATE COMEDY CLUBS

Comedian DAVE CHAPPELLE has found happiness performing at small stand-up clubs after walking away from his acclaimed TV show.

The 33-year-old funnyman walked away from his CHAPPELLE'S SHOW series and, apparently, a lucrative multi-million dollar contract earlier this year (05) and is now playing comedy clubs, including one in Kentucky, where he sold out 10 shows.

He says, "(It's) like I'm hanging out with a bunch of people, (and) I like that particular kind of attention. People don't know what it's like standing up there onstage, when you have a wall of people smiling at you.

"Most people don't know what it's like to stand up there and speak their mind. I have a venue to do that. I get paid to do that. It's not like I'm doing heavy lifting up there. It's not like I'm solving the world's problems. It's like I'm hanging out with a bunch of people and it's cool."

Chappelle stunned fans and the entertainment industry when he abruptly left his self-titled show during production of the third season. He spent two weeks in South Africa before returning home to his 65 acre farm in Ohio, then returned to stand-up comedy.