Dave Chappelle, in South Africa, says: I'm not crazy

NEW YORK (AP) _ Comedian Dave Chappelle wants to set things straight: he's not crazy and he's not smoking crack, he tells Time magazine. <br/><br/>The interview comes more than a week after his

Thursday, May 12th 2005, 9:54 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ Comedian Dave Chappelle wants to set things straight: he's not crazy and he's not smoking crack, he tells Time magazine.

The interview comes more than a week after his hit Comedy Central show was suspended and the rumors started to fly.

Chappelle, took off to South Africa for a spiritual retreat, leaving his fans _ and even his agent and publicist _ wondering where he went.

He says he is stressed out.

After Comedy Central announced that the planned May 31 debut of the third season of ``Chappelle's Show'' had been postponed, the magazine Entertainment Weekly reported that Chappelle had checked himself into a mental health facility in South Africa.

Chappell denies the report and says he does not have a drug problem.

The 31-year-old comedian says he fled to stay with friends in Durban because he wasn't happy with the direction of the show, which is behind only ``South Park'' as Comedy Central's most-watched program.