'Kramer' Apologizes, Says He's Not Racist
Michael Richards, who played Jerry Seinfeld's eccentric neighbor Kramer on the sitcom "Seinfeld," publicly apologized for racist comments he made in a tirade aimed at some hecklers at a nightclub where he was working as a a stand-up comic.
Appearing on the "Late Show With David Letterman" Monday, the actor spoke live via satellite from Television City, Calif., and fielded questions from Letterman, while in-studio guest Jerry Seinfeld looked on.
"For me to be at a comedy club and flip out and say this crap…" said Richards. "I'm deeply, deeply sorry."
Earlier in the day, as news of Richards' comments hit the web, Seinfeld issued a statement saying he is "sick over this horrible, horrible mistake" and calling Richards' remarks offensive.
A video on TMZ.com shows the actor, 57, repeatedly yelling racial remarks at a man who sat in the audience at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood. It apparently happened after someone in the crowd said he wasn't funny.
"Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a f------ fork up your ass," he says while on stage.
"You can talk, you can talk, you're brave now motherf------. Throw his ass out. He's a n-----! He's a n-----! He's a n-----! A n-----, look, there's a n-----!"
Some chuckling was heard coming from the audience throughout the outburst, along with gasps of "Oh my God!" and other exclamations as Richards veered into unprintable invective.
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."
Monday night, Letterman asked Richards if he would have responded to the heckler in a similar vein if he had been of a different race.
"It may have happened," said Richards. "I'm a performer. I push the envelope. I work in a very uncontrolled manner on stage. I do a lot of free association — it's spontaneous, I go into character. I don't know. In view of the situation and the act going the way it was going, I don't know. The rage did go all over the place - it went to everybody in the room."
Richards seemed baffled by his own reaction on stage.
"I'm not a racist, that's what's so insane about this," he said.
The actor said that he went back to the club later that night and went on stage to "get back on the horse, as they say." He said he apologized to as many people as he could after the incident, but some of the people he targeted had already left.
He added that he supports the people who complained to the press about his comments.
© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Appearing on the "Late Show With David Letterman" Monday, the actor spoke live via satellite from Television City, Calif., and fielded questions from Letterman, while in-studio guest Jerry Seinfeld looked on.
"For me to be at a comedy club and flip out and say this crap…" said Richards. "I'm deeply, deeply sorry."
Earlier in the day, as news of Richards' comments hit the web, Seinfeld issued a statement saying he is "sick over this horrible, horrible mistake" and calling Richards' remarks offensive.
A video on TMZ.com shows the actor, 57, repeatedly yelling racial remarks at a man who sat in the audience at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood. It apparently happened after someone in the crowd said he wasn't funny.
"Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a f------ fork up your ass," he says while on stage.
"You can talk, you can talk, you're brave now motherf------. Throw his ass out. He's a n-----! He's a n-----! He's a n-----! A n-----, look, there's a n-----!"
Click here to see photos of Michael Richards
Some chuckling was heard coming from the audience throughout the outburst, along with gasps of "Oh my God!" and other exclamations as Richards veered into unprintable invective.
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."
Monday night, Letterman asked Richards if he would have responded to the heckler in a similar vein if he had been of a different race.
"It may have happened," said Richards. "I'm a performer. I push the envelope. I work in a very uncontrolled manner on stage. I do a lot of free association — it's spontaneous, I go into character. I don't know. In view of the situation and the act going the way it was going, I don't know. The rage did go all over the place - it went to everybody in the room."
Richards seemed baffled by his own reaction on stage.
"I'm not a racist, that's what's so insane about this," he said.
The actor said that he went back to the club later that night and went on stage to "get back on the horse, as they say." He said he apologized to as many people as he could after the incident, but some of the people he targeted had already left.
He added that he supports the people who complained to the press about his comments.
- no previous page
- next
1/2
Popular in Entertainment
- Ray Manzarek remembered by Doors bandmates, rockers
- Justin Bieber booed at 2013 Billboard Music Awards 129 Comments
- "DWTS": Champion Melissa Rycroft picks a winner
- "The Voice": Top 10 take the stage
- Ray Manzarek, founding member of The Doors, dies
- At last: "Arrested" is reborn Sunday on Netflix
- Watch: Miguel jumps, lands on fan at Billboard Awards
- "DWTS": Finalists compete for mirror ball trophy
Now I know he really felt when working a long his lawyer " Jackie Charles " on Seinfeld .
I believe Richards when he says his outburst was anger motivated and not racism but there has to be some underlying reason for the words he chose to show his anger. I call my wife a *** sometimes, under my breath of course, not because I do not love her or even believe she is such a thing, but because she has made me angry as hell.
Come people get off the poor me, look what whitey has done to me, pick up your self esteem and move on.
And I heard Jesse Jackson bring to light that he used the term "Afro-American" rather than African-American further validating his insensitivity. Let me get this right, Jesse is further upset because not only did Richards use insensitive and offensive language, but he used "incorrect" insensitive and offensive language? Really? Are you kidding me!?
I have worked in comedy clubs and they often attract the worst kind of patron. Rude, discourteous and insensitive so I fully understand him osing his temper. Not condoning his language but understanding his anger.
No one seems offended that the "African-Americans" called him a "cracker"-something or other. Why not? Double standard? Of course.
I am not saying that we don't have problems in this country with understanding and sensitivity, but it has happened for the entire history of humans on this planet. This is why most people are sick to death of political correctness. Grow some thicker skin and realize that people are, and will continue to be, insensitive. It may not be right, but it is what it is.
Stop your own bigotry and gtf off the page.
Posted by easysabre90"
Hate to burst your bubble easysabre90 but you are wrong. As a Black man I can say that. If you've been reading message boards for eight years did you ever notice in all that time you only need to hit the submit button once? Why did you post the same thing 3 times? Haven't got things figured out yet? Well whenever you read someone say "trust me" I guess maybe you can't.
Justifying racism? Try identifying true racism for yourself and stop being manipulated by the media blowing things like this out of proportion. Racism isn't hiding on "message boards" or in comedy clubs. It's in the open and it doesn't need the "n" word to prove it exists. It is by actions not words that it is revealed. What did he do that proves he's a racist? I was always taught that the "n" word refered to ignorant people. Don't be ignorant!
"If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isnt part of ourselves doesnt disturb us." - Herman Hesse, German novelist (1877-1962).