It sounds like the punchline of a bad joke, but American comedian Dave Chappelle is probably not laughing after his attempt to break the record for the longest stand-up performance was scuttled by his own bladder.

The comic had been on stage at Hollywood’s Laugh Factory for a remarkable five hours when nature called and he dashed for the gents.

The quick visit ended his attempt to break the seven-hour, 34-minute record set by Dane Cook last year after it was ruled the toilet stop was against the rules and the comic was disqualified.

Having sat through the marathon stand-up routine, the audience were appalled by the decision, but club owner Jamie Masada insisted the renowned comic had blown his attempt.

“There are only two rules. You have to continuously tell jokes that are funny and you can't leave the stage, even to go to the bathroom.”

Chappelle, a TV regular and stand-up icon, will be especially disappointed in his bladder’s capabilities as he was attempting to win back the title after a long tit-for-tat battle with Cook.

The late Richard Pryor set the club’s original record in 1980 with a two hour, 41 minute-long routine. Cook challenged and broke it in 1997 with a three-hour, 50-minute set. Chappelle then entered into the competition, dwarfing Cook’s effort with a routine stretching to six hours and seven minutes.

Cook took the record back last year, prompting Chappelle to mount a challenge.

The comedian famously puts his stand-up career above lucrative TV and film projects. In 2005, he amazed the industry by turning down a $50 million deal to continue his hit Comedy Central TV programme, Chappelle’s Show, after telling a live audience the year before that it was ruining his stage routines.

During the performance in Sacremento, the audience continually shouted a catchphrase from his sketch show - “I’m Rick James, bitch!” – causing him to walk off stage.

He returned and told them, “this show is ruining my life” and that he was sick of “working 20 hours a day”.

"This (stand-up) is the most important thing I do, and because I'm on TV, you make it hard for me to do it," he said.

The comedian has since starred in the critically acclaimed film Dave Chappelle’s Block Party.

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