News & Politics - 'Seinfeld' Star Michael Richards to Apologize on 'Letterman' for Racial Slurs

S.A.S.H.A. · 11-20-2006, 07:32 PM

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'Seinfeld' Star Michael Richards to Apologize on 'Letterman' for Racial Slurs

LOS ANGELES — "Seinfeld" star Michael Richards has taped an interview to be shown on "Late Show With David Letterman" in which he offers a brief explanation and an apology for the racial epithet-laced tirade he unleashed during a stand-up comedy routine over the weekend, WCBS-TV reported.

"I lost my temper onstage," said Richards in his statement, clips of which ran on "CBS Evening News With Katie Couric" Monday. "I was at a comedy club trying to do my act and I got heckled and I took it badly and went into a rage.

"For me to flip out and say this crap, I'm deeply, deeply sorry," he added. "I'm not a racist — that's what's so insane about this."

Click Here to Watch Video. Warning: Profane language and racial epithets.

The complete interview with the actor — who became famous for playing Kramer on one of the most successful sitcoms in history — will air, along with an appearance by Richards' former co-star Jerry Seinfeld, at 11:30 p.m EST Monday night on CBS.

Seinfeld had already been scheduled to be one of Letterman's guests Monday.

"CBS Evening News" also showed snippets of Seinfeld's interview.

"I was extremely upset about it and he is extremely upset about it, so I asked him if he would come on," Seinfeld told Letterman. He said he thinks Richards deserves the chance to redeem himself.

The news of an apology came as Richards was condemned by fellow comedians and industry colleagues for the slurs he hurled against African Americans after being heckled Friday night during a stint at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood.

Comedian Paul Rodriguez, who was at the Laugh Factory when Richards responded to two black hecklers with the "n" word and profanities, said he was shocked by Richards' remarks.

"Once the word comes out of your mouth and you don't happen to be African-American, then you have a whole lot of explaining," Rodriguez told CNN. "Freedom of speech has its limitations and I think Michael Richards found those limitations."

Jerry Seinfeld issued a statement saying he was "sick over this."

"I'm sure Michael is also sick over this horrible, horrible mistake. It is so extremely offensive. I feel terrible for all the people who have been hurt," Seinfeld said of Richards, 57, who played eccentric Kramer on the hit 1989-98 sitcom and whose major credit since was the failed 2000 comedy series, "The Michael Richards Show."

Calls to Richards' representatives were not returned Monday.

His Laugh Factory tirade began after the two clubgoers shouted at him that he wasn't funny. A videotape of the incident was posted on TMZ.com.

Richards retorted: "Shut up! Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a f——— fork up your a—."

He then paced across the stage taunting the men for interrupting his show, peppering his speech with racial slurs and profanities.

"You can talk, you can talk, you're brave now mother———. Throw his a— out. He's a n——-!" Richards shouts before repeating the racial epithet over and over again.

Moderating his tone at one point, Richards tells the audience: "It shocks you. It shocks you" and refers to "what lays buried."

While there is some chuckling in the audience throughout the outburst, someone can be heard gasping "Oh my God" and people respond with "ooh" after Richards uses the n-word.

Eventually someone calls out: "It's not funny. That's why you're a reject, never had no shows, never had no movies. `Seinfeld,' that's it."

On Monday, about a half-dozen community activists gathered at the club to denounce Richards' remarks and demand an apology.

"These kind of comments hurt all of us," said protester Lita Sister Herron of the Youth Advocacy Coalition. She called Richards' comments hate speech.

The protesters also demanded an apology from the Laugh Factory. At a news conference a short time later, club owner Jamie Masada expressed remorse and said Richards will not be back at the club until he says he's sorry.

"This is one thing we don't tolerate. ... I personally apologize. I apologize from my heart," Masada said Monday.

Richards did appear at the club Saturday, without incident, but that was because he had told the club he intended to apologize, according to a Laugh Factory statement Monday.

Rodriguez, also at the news conference, said: "I kept expecting a punch line. It didn't come."

Veteran publicist Michael Levine, whose clients have included famed comedians George Carlin, Sam Kinison and Rodney Dangerfield, called Richards' remarks inexcusable. Comics often face hecklers without losing their cool, he said.

"It's never seen anything like this is my life," Levine said Monday. "I think it's a career ruiner for him. ... It's going to be a long road back for him, if at all."

Daryl Pitts, a Laugh Factory audience member interviewed by CNN, compared the incident to another recent celebrity controversy.

"You think about Mel Gibson and what he said, and put that in the context of this, it's very upsetting," Pitts said, referring to Gibson's anti-Semitic outburst during his arrest for drunken driving.

Scrutiny of Richards' remarks likely will continue but won't match the level prompted by Gibson's behavior because Richards is far less famous, Levine said.

Comedian George Lopez told Los Angeles television station KTLA that he thought Richards' lack of stand-up experience may have been a factor.

"The question is you have an actor who is trying to be a comedian who doesn't know what to do when an audience is disruptive," Lopez said. "He's an actor whose show has been off the air, he shouldn't ever be on a stand-up gig."

Oi.

Mel Gibson would have been crucified if he did this.

Sasha

Jacob1983 · 11-20-2006, 07:50 PM

Michael Richards is a loser. He probably did this just to get attention. I think that the people in the audience that were offended are making a big deal out of nothing. If you don't want to hear racist comments from a comedian, don't waste your money on seeing a racist comedian. I think "Kramer" made a big mistake but I do think that the audience members have a part in it too. They were heckling the comedian and he snapped. The audience members should have to apologize too because from the video that I saw, they were using racial slurs against Richards. They called Richards a "cracker" in the video. Comedians say offensive things all the time. I don't see why everyone is making a big deal about it. They have freedom of speech just like the rest of us. I mean I've heard the great Bill Maher say horrible offensive about Christians and their religion but no one ever demands that he apologizes. I have said this before and I will say it again. In our society, there are certain social groups that you are allowed to make fun of and then there are ones that you are not allowed to make fun of. It sucks that it's like that but it's true.

elisheva · 11-20-2006, 08:01 PM

Kramer: Now Joining the "Make Mel Gibson Look Good" Club!

Seriously, wtf? He wasn't even joking - he was obviously furious and quite serious. And the things he were saying were bordering on KKK-style ("years ago, we'd have had a fork up your ---"????)

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I think that the people in the audience that were offended are making a big deal out of nothing. If you don't want to hear racist comments from a comedian, don't waste your money on seeing a racist comedian.

A big deal? Racist comments ARE a big deal. (For example, John Mayer came out with some racist comments at this random improv comedy thing - I now refuse to buy his cds, although I used to be a fan a few years ago.) And how are, say, casual fans of Seinfeld supposed to know Richards is a virulent racist? AFAIK, there's been no hint of this before.

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They were heckling the comedian and he snapped.

Um, professional comedians should know not everyone's going to like you. Some people won't laugh. Some people will heckle you. You deal with it and don't lose your temper, if you're a professional. Also, I think the kinds of things you instinctively say when you lose it say a lot about a person. (Like Isaiah Washington using slurs against T. R. Knight & Patrick Dempsey, or Gibson's racist tirade.)

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In our society, there are certain social groups that you are allowed to make fun of and then there are ones that you are not allowed to make fun of. It sucks that it's like that but it's true.

Sure, that's true. For example, stupid college kids can get away with calling things they dislike "gay." That doesn't mean we should let things slide when we notice them, though.

Jacob1983 · 11-20-2006, 08:12 PM

So called "stupid" college kids aren't the only ones that assign the word "gay" numerous different meanings. The media and entertainment do it all the time. Just look at South Park. In our society, gay doesn't always mean homosexuality. I honestly don't really see anything wrong with saying something is "gay" when you dislike it. A lot of people use the word "gay" as a way of saying that something isn't cool. It's not really a slap against gay people in my opinion. People give words numerous different meanings all the time. I mean look at the phrase "my bad" for example.

The audience members kinda brought it upon themselves in my opinion. They obviously shouldn't have heckled Michael Richards. When I saw the story on tv, I laughed at how that no reporters were mentioning the fact the the African American audience members were calling Richards a cracker. That is how our society is though. If a white guy is called racist names, it's not that big of a deal. But if a member from a minority is called racist names, then it is a big deal.

migamoo · 11-20-2006, 08:14 PM

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Originally Posted by Jacob1983 (View Post)

Michael Richards is a loser.

While I'm not a fan, I wouldn't call him a loser. Reverting to name-calling is really childish, don't you think?

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He probably did this just to get attention.

Do you know him? Do you know how he thinks? I think he was just upset and took his frustrations way too far.

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I think that the people in the audience that were offended are making a big deal out of nothing.

So, if a black person called you an equally derogatory term, you'd do nothing about it?

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If you don't want to hear racist comments from a comedian, don't waste your money on seeing a racist comedian.

It wasn't part of the act though. Audience members were hackling him and he just went off on them. It was just made worse because the members in question were black and Michael went on off a racial tirade.

Jacob1983 · 11-20-2006, 08:25 PM

No I don't know Michael Richards. However, I do know that he probably hates the fact that he has the "Seinfeld curse". He is probably enjoying the attention he is getting. I mean he hasn't really been in the news since Seinfeld was on.

Sometimes when you get called a derogatory term, the best thing you can do is just walk away and forget about it.

Comedians should give some respect and courtesy to audience members when they're doing a routine but audience members should also give them the same common courtesy and respect. I've never understood why people are hecklers. If you think the comedian sucks so bad then why did you pay to see him?

Let's not forget the fact audience members used racial slurs against Michael Richards. Richards is guilty of making racial slurs against audience members but the audience members are guilty as well. They aren't innocent either.

migamoo · 11-20-2006, 08:33 PM

The people in the audience only did so after Richards did first. Does it make it right? No.

S.A.S.H.A. · 11-20-2006, 08:36 PM

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Originally Posted by Jacob1983 (View Post)

Let's not forget the fact audience members used racial slurs against Michael Richards. Richards is guilty of making racial slurs against audience members but the audience members are guilty as well. They aren't innocent either.

It's nothing new, though. It's a known double standard that minorities can get away with racial and stereotypical comments more often than the other way around. I must admit that I laugh at a lot of crude, racial, and stereotypical jokes, and Richards' comments had me going for the first few seconds, but like comedian Sinbad said, he was waiting for a punchline, but it never came. There's a line that should never be crossed, and as obnoxious and terrible as the hecklers were, Richards went too far.

Sasha

migamoo · 11-20-2006, 08:45 PM

I agree with you Sasha, I was laughing for like the first minute, but then he did go too far when he started with "50 years ago...." That was uncalled for. Really though, this whole thing is like watching a train wreck.

Jacob1983 · 11-20-2006, 08:52 PM

Why is it that minorities can get away more often with making racial and stereotypical comments? What makes them any better? I know for a fact that if Richards had been a black guy and said horrible things against white people, he wouldn't have gotten in trouble at all. Just look at comedians like Chris Rock, he can say whatever he wants about white people since he is a minority. It's not right.

Just because Richards was the instigator doesn't meant the African American audience members get a free pass on what they did. They are just as guilty as Richards is.

elisheva · 11-20-2006, 09:01 PM

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Originally Posted by Jacob1983 (View Post)

So called "stupid" college kids aren't the only ones that assign the word "gay" numerous different meanings. The media and entertainment do it all the time. Just look at South Park. In our society, gay doesn't always mean homosexuality. I honestly don't really see anything wrong with saying something is "gay" when you dislike it. A lot of people use the word "gay" as a way of saying that something isn't cool. It's not really a slap against gay people in my opinion. People give words numerous different meanings all the time. I mean look at the phrase "my bad" for example.

Huh? What does "my bad" have to do with people using "gay" as synonymous with something negative? It's like if I said "Ugh, this class sucks...it's so Christian" - even though the class sucking presumably has nothing to do with Christianity. I'd just be using Christian as a catch-all term for negativity. I think using "gay" to mean lame/sucky/stupid/whatever is wrong. It creates the mental association between gay and bad, and that's pretty offensive. It's not like "gay" means "happy" anymore in North America, unless you're 96. It may still be a valid dcitionary definiton, but it's not a social fact.

UnsilentMajorty · 11-20-2006, 09:19 PM

A comedian is a professional performer who is expected to adhere to at least some modicum of professionalism in the face of criticism and adversity. Even if the comedian or performer is one who relies on sexist and racial stereotypes (for example) to generate laughs, even they know when to pull back because there is a fine line between seeing the humorous aspects of a lot of stereotypes and double standards that exist... And then there is being malicious, racist, sexist and just hateful ala Mel Gibson and his drunken tirade against Jews.

This is the difference between what Richards did and what the hecklers did, Jacob.

This isn't a black and white issue like you want it to be.

There is subtlety to the dynamics of what went on and as a result you have to look at the FACTS very closely before you jump to a hasty conclusion.

The hecklers started it, but Richards snapped and launched into a hate-filled and malicious verbal assault on them using hateful, racist pejoratives. It was only then the audience members responded IN-KIND by saying "Cracker" back to him. They did this because I am sure they didn't know if he was being serious and believe it or not, adults do joke around about race even if younger generation think it is "inappropriate". I could give you countless examples from my own life... And I am a non-Caucasian person... But it doesn't bother me because that is life. Deal with it and grow a thicker skin.

There is no double standard here, Jacob.

Michael Richards snapped and demonstrated he probably should not be performing AT ALL in any capacity any more... At least, in front of a live public audience where he is uncensored and doesn't have to follow a script... Because he apparently can't control himself as a professional, or a human being anymore and that is unacceptable in every conceivable way and this will probably be the end of his waining career, anyway. Instead of just fading into obscurity, he will now be infamous for being a racist until the day he dies. This is the harshest punishment of them all, IMO.

S.A.S.H.A. · 11-20-2006, 09:35 PM

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Why is it that minorities can get away more often with making racial and stereotypical comments? What makes them any better? I know for a fact that if Richards had been a black guy and said horrible things against white people, he wouldn't have gotten in trouble at all. Just look at comedians like Chris Rock, he can say whatever he wants about white people since he is a minority. It's not right.

Just because Richards was the instigator doesn't meant the African American audience members get a free pass on what they did. They are just as guilty as Richards is.

I'm guessing it has to do with the overused and tiresome excuse of minorities being oppressed by the majority throughout history, so they get some sort of free pass to say controversial comments like that. It's not right, but that's the way things are.

That's such a lame excuse, imo. I'm a minority, but I don't use racial slurs like that even in jest, because I wouldn't want anyone calling me a wetback ****, so why would I do that to someone else just because some of my ancestors may have been oppressed. I don't feel oppressed! And I've already heard this copout for an excuse on the news by a number of minorities discussing this Richards incident. Please!

I must say that I agree with Bill Cosby from years back.

But yes, Richards committed a stupid and unforgivable act. It would have been one thing if he was just joking around in the typical crude way comedians do, but he clearly was not. Let's see if he is ever able to truly live this down.

Sasha

TokyoNiGHTS · 11-20-2006, 10:04 PM

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Originally Posted by Jacob1983 (View Post)

Why is it that minorities can get away more often with making racial and stereotypical comments?

Whites can get away with it to. Just go and download Jeff Ross' roast routine of Emmitt Smith and Shaq. He makes several racial stereotypes to a mainly black audience and they're all laughing at it. The reason you don't see it more is because alot of comedians can't pull it off so they don't try.

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Originally Posted by Jacob1983 (View Post)

I know for a fact that if Richards had been a black guy and said horrible things against white people, he wouldn't have gotten in trouble at all. Just look at comedians like Chris Rock, he can say whatever he wants about white people since he is a minority. It's not right.

Please don't compare what Richards did to Chris Rock. I've seen many of Rocks routines and its in no way comparable to what Richards did. The reason Richards got in trouble over it is because its not part of his act. With Chris Rock that's part of what he does, he criticizes all races, white, black, Asian ect. It doesn't matter. This guy on the other hand flipped out of nowhere withotu any previous attempts of showing this is what he does and goes on a racist rampage. It's not similar.

Many white comedians use race as part of their humor and nothing is made of it because that again is part of their routine. If its your routine no one really cares because everyone knows what to expect and everyone knows its just a joke.

migamoo · 11-20-2006, 10:11 PM

Many comedians use race in their routines, whether they be white, black, Latino, whatever.


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