Dave Chappelle says he didn't quit his Comedy Central show

Dave Chappelle stopped by the "Late Show" on Tuesday night, marking his first time on the show in 10 years.

The comedian was there promoting a string of dates scheduled at New York's Radio City Music Hall, but host David Letterman also asked Chappelle about walking away from his Comedy Central series in 2005.

"Technically, I never quit -- I am seven years late for work," he explained. "It's like divorce in the '50s. You go out for cigarettes and don't come back."

As for his trip to South Africa at that time, Chappelle said, "I was there for two weeks. There's not too many good hiding places left in America."

"I don't know if it was mysterious or not mysterious," he added. "It was like living in the corner of perception and reality. It's a weird place to be. When everyone thought Wesley Snipes was in jail, I saw him at a party."

The interview wasn't just Chappelle's first "Late Show" appearance in a decade, but also, as Splitsider noted, his first late-night appearance anywhere since a stop at "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in 2008.

Watch part of his "Late Show" chat in the video above.