he's supposed to apoligize on Letterman tonight..this should be interesting


Kramer' comic to apologize on Letterman show
By Lynn Smith, Times Staff Writer
5:54 PM PST, November 20, 2006

Comic Michael Richards apologized Monday for a Friday night tirade during his standup show at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood during which he used profanities and racial slurs, including the n-word.

The 57-year-old actor who gained fame as Kramer, the wacky neighbor on "Seinfeld," offered his apology during an appearance on CBS' "The Late Show With David Letterman." It was taped in the afternoon and wound up leading the "CBS Evening News" with Katie Couric.

"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," he said. "For me to be in a comedy club and flip out and say this crap, I'm deeply, deeply sorry. I'm not a racist. That's what's so insane about this."

Richards' appearance on "Late Show" came during a segment with Jerry Seinfeld, who had previously been scheduled as a guest and, after Friday's outburst, invited his former co-star to join him via satellite. Seinfeld earlier had been quoted as saying Richards' remarks at the Laugh Factory sickened him, calling the episode a "horrible mistake."

In a blurry cell phone video of the Friday night performance, Richards shouts "Shut up!" at two hecklers and makes a racially offensive remark, sparking gasps from the audience, which triggers even more epithets from Richards. As one person shouts back at him, "That was uncalled for," Richards replies: "Well, you interrupted me, pal. That's what happens when you interrupt the white man." A video of the angry exchange can be seen at tmz.com and cnn.com.

The language Richards used was so extreme, some observers compared it to the anti-Semitic outburst by Mel Gibson after his arrest on drunk driving charges last July, with some predicting that it would mark the end of Richards' career.

Other comedians were critical of the way Richards handled the hecklers.

"Richards should've used a standard — nonracist — heckler response, such as, 'I thought I told you to wait in the test tube,'." said humorist Paul Krassner.

Comedian Paul Rodriguez, who was at the Laugh Factory during Richards' performance, said he was shocked at the use of the n-word.

"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."

Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada offered his own apology Monday and the club issued a statement saying it would not be offering Richards more time in the spotlight.

"We have made it clear that Mr. Richards is no longer welcomed here," the statement said. "The Laugh Factory is a comedy club, not a forum for personal attacks."

Richards starred on "Seinfeld" from 1989 to 1998 and had his own NBC sitcom, "The Michael Richards Show," in 2000.

Already a thread http://www.prince.org/msg/105/208913