Artie Lange has claimed that a run-in with a bookie last year is partially to blame for his collapsed nose.

Last month, the comedian shared an alarming photo of his cocaine-ravaged nose, prompting several celebrities to take to social media and plead for him to finally kick his drug habit.

But recently Lange said his nose's condition also resulted from his kidnapping about 11 months ago.

'I still gamble a lot. That was my worst vice for a long time was gambling because it led to everything else,' Lange said during an interview on the podcast, Are We Still Talking About This?

'I owed a bookie 62 grand, and a kid who worked for a bookie, we’ll call him an African-American, he was collecting, and he thought I was a billionaire because he saw me on TV and he kidnapped me,' the comedian added.

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Last month, Artie Lange (left in December 2018) shared an alarming photo of his cocaine-ravaged nose, prompting several celebrities to take to social media and plead for him to finally kick his drug habit. The comedian is seen (right) in a photo that was taken in February 2017

He claimed the man came up behind him while he was walking to truck and smashed him in the nose.

Lange, 51, who later woke up in a van, said the punch 'destroyed my nose'.

'The septum from the abuse from the years of drugs and this hit broke it and I’ve had two operations and you know, it’s just in bad shape … It’s a scar from years of sh*t.'

Lange said he told the kid that he was making a 'dumb' decision by kidnapping him and eventually the 19-year-old left Lange in the van and fled.

Earlier this month several celebrities took to social media pleading for Lange to give up his drug habit.

The former Howard Stern show co-host showcased his 'hideously deformed' nose in a tweet in late December, prompting an outcry from the comedian community.

Richard Lewis, Star of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, was the first to urge Lange to seek help to finally end his 30-year struggle with substance abuse.

'This is my 1000th request over decades to beg you to surrender to your addictions' he tweeted.

'We had the most laughs sober. I love you. You're beloved and a magnificent comedian cursed with self loathing and fear. Give it up and live.'

The disfigurement to Lange's nose comes after he accidentally snorted broken glass along with opioid oxycontin - in addition to the nearly three decades of excessive cocaine use.

But recently Lange (pictured in November 2018) said his nose's condition also resulted from his kidnapping about 11 months ago. He claimed a man smashed him in the nose, knocking him out. Lange, 51, who later woke up in a van, said the punch 'destroyed my nose'

Earlier this month several celebrities took to social media pleading for Lange to give up his drug habit

The Big Bang Theories' Brian Posehn echoed Lewis' sentiments in a slightly more blunt way (left). Fellow comedian Jackie Martling shared his own story of sobriety (right)

Actor Patton Oswalt concurred with Lewis' message, adding 'What Rich said. Come ON, Artie.'

A out-pour of similar sentiments then followed Oswalt's reiteration.

'Please, please listen to Richard,' said Brian Posehn of the Big Bang Theory. 'I really don't want to tweet about how f*cking funny you were and how said it is you're gone any time super soon.'

Mo Collins, who starred alongside Lange on MADtv, sent her love and support to Lange.

70-year-old Stand-up comic reminded Lange of his own battle with addiction to prove there's more to life than drink and drugs.

'Coming up to 18 years in May. in early 2001 I’d have laughed at the idea of not drinking for 18 *days.*' He replied.

Last month, Lange narrowly missed jail time last month after testing positive for cocaine during a parole hearing for heroin possession

Richard Lewis (left) asked Lange for the '1000th time' to finally kick his 30 year habit. Hoping to help the cause, Patton Oswalt (right) told the 51-year-old he 'can do it'

Former Co-star of MADtv, Mo Collins also joined the intervention to encourage the comedian to get clean

'Art, I know you know the laughs are just as hearty on this side. I love you and am of course 100% in your very crowded corner.'

Lange's public battle with addiction lead to a cancelled stand-up tour in 2010, followed by a gruesome suicide attempt after he was fired from the Howard Stern Show.

In his book, Crash and Burn, the comedian candidly recalled how he downed a bottle of bleach, stabbed himself in the stomach nine times and then slit his wrists.

He spent the next 18 months bouncing between psychiatric facilities and failed sobriety efforts.

Last month, Lange narrowly avoided jail after he tested positive for cocaine at probation hearing for possession of heroin.