Dave Chappelle took the stage Thursday night and revealed something shocking ... he spoke to the man who attacked him at the Hollywood Bowl, and the guy told Dave why he did it.
Dave says he convinced Bowl security Tuesday night to let him speak to Isaiah Lee before he was taken away. Dave says, "I needed to talk to him" to find out why he attacked. Chappelle says Lee told him this was all about getting attention for his grandmother ... who he said had been forced out of her neighborhood because of gentrification.
Dave was at the Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip, and there were lots of celebs in attendance, including Kim Kardashian, Diddy, Jeff Ross and Chris Rock. Chris joined Dave on stage and they joked about both being attacked during a performance.
At one point Dave said, "At least you got smacked by someone of repute. I got smacked by a homeless guy with leaves in his hair!" Chris's response ... "I got smacked by the softest n**** that ever rapped."
Dave ended the show with this as he gazed at Diddy ... "I am in the place where you sat in the car with Biggie Smalls as he died," adding, "I hate this city."
As we reported, the L.A. County D.A. rejected Lee's case as a felony and kicked it to the City Attorney for misdemeanor prosecution. The City Attorney has charged Lee with 4 crimes.