Michael "Kramer" Richards' racist meltdown

[Jack Aubrey]

Like Mel Gibson, I am now done with Richards.

 

Richards' racist tirade, with video of the incident. You may not want to watch the video on a work computer, it's both profane and racist.

 

"Kramer's" Racist Tirade -- Caught on Tape

 

Posted Nov 20th 2006 8:30AM by TMZ Staff

Filed under: Train Wrecks

 

Michael Richards exploded in anger as he performed at a famous L.A. comedy club last Friday, hurling racial epithets that left the crowd gasping, and TMZ has obtained exclusive video of the ugly incident.

 

Richards, who played the wacky Cosmo Kramer on the hit TV show "Seinfeld," appeared onstage at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood. It appears two guys, both African-American, were in the cheap seats playfully heckling Richards when suddenly, the comedian lost it.

 

The camera started rolling just as Richards began his attack, screaming at one of the men, "Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a f***ing fork up your ass."

 

Richards continued, "You can talk, you can talk, you're brave now motherf**ker. Throw his ass out. He's a (n-word)! He's a (n-word)! He's a (n-word)! A (n-word), look, there's a (n-word)!"

 

The crowd is visibly and audibly confused and upset. Richards responds by saying, "They're going to arrest me for calling a black man a (n-word)."

 

One of the men who was the object of Richard's tirade was outraged, shouting back "That's un-f***ing called for, ain't necessary."

 

After the three-minute tirade, it appears the majority of the audience members got up and left in disgust.

 

Attempts to reach Richards' reps were unsuccessful.

Edited November 20, 2006 by Jack Aubrey

[subdivision40]

Wow! That's really upsetting to see. You hate to see such a talented person self destruct like that. I wonder what he's on? Booze, pills? I'm sure we'll be finding out soon enough. Very sad.

[Jack Aubrey]

QUOTE (subdivision40 @ Nov 20 2006, 12:47 PM)

Wow! That's really upsetting to see. You hate to see such a talented person self destruct like that. I wonder what he's on? Booze, pills? I'm sure we'll be finding out soon enough. Very sad.

All due respect, but if he is on anything it's still no excuse. A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts.

 

[ReRushed]

Very sad. He was on top of the world because of Seinfeld and now he's apparently on the bottom. I guess some just can't handle the extremes of being a celebrity.

[Digital Man]

QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Nov 20 2006, 11:55 AM)

QUOTE (subdivision40 @ Nov 20 2006, 12:47 PM) Wow! That's really upsetting to see. You hate to see such a talented person self destruct like that. I wonder what he's on? Booze, pills? I'm sure we'll be finding out soon enough. Very sad. All due respect, but if he is on anything it's still no excuse. A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts. That is a good point, Jack. There is just no excuse for the comments he made.   It's sad to see people self-destruct.

[GhostGirl]

Absolutely disgusting.

[subdivision40]

QUOTE (Digital Man @ Nov 20 2006, 12:00 PM)

QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Nov 20 2006, 11:55 AM) QUOTE (subdivision40 @ Nov 20 2006, 12:47 PM) Wow! That's really upsetting to see. You hate to see such a talented person self destruct like that. I wonder what he's on? Booze, pills? I'm sure we'll be finding out soon enough. Very sad. All due respect, but if he is on anything it's still no excuse. A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts. That is a good point, Jack. There is just no excuse for the comments he made.   It's sad to see people self-destruct. I don't think it's an excuse for what he did, I'm just saying that I think probably booze or drugs played a part. There is no excuse for his behavior. It was just horrible.

[Jack Aubrey]

QUOTE (subdivision40 @ Nov 20 2006, 01:13 PM)

QUOTE (Digital Man @ Nov 20 2006, 12:00 PM) QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Nov 20 2006, 11:55 AM) QUOTE (subdivision40 @ Nov 20 2006, 12:47 PM) Wow! That's really upsetting to see. You hate to see such a talented person self destruct like that. I wonder what he's on? Booze, pills? I'm sure we'll be finding out soon enough. Very sad. All due respect, but if he is on anything it's still no excuse. A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts. That is a good point, Jack. There is just no excuse for the comments he made.   It's sad to see people self-destruct. I don't think it's an excuse for what he did, I'm just saying that I think probably booze or drugs played a part. There is no excuse for his behavior. It was just horrible. Oh, ok. My bad, then.

[Arleen2112]

I always thought this guy was an ass

 

Now its been verified

 

What a Jerk

[tangy]

QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Nov 20 2006, 11:55 AM)

A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts.

Very nice summary Jack!

 

Man, thats deep and all too true.

 

Talk about shameful behavior. He deserves any and all the grief he is going get for his words.

[DonnaWanna]

some reason the vid wouldnt play for me,

but readin Jacks post i got the jist of it..

 

 

Not for nothin ( and dont think im a racist by statin this plz Im far from it)

but isnt this america?!?!?

WE ALL have prejudice, WE ALL have oppinions bout certain things & people

 

 

yeah it sucks if that IS how he thinks but WTF!

we are allowed to have our own thoughts & feelings towards things.

If those wanna show off how ignorant & closed minded they are

so be it.

im prolly not wordin this correctly but,

anyway..Im still gonna be laughin my ass off while watchin him

on seinfel d & other movies he did, but thats just me i guess

 

nobodys perfect, and closed minded & ignorant

people show us this everyday

[Jack Aubrey]

QUOTE (DonnaWanna @ Nov 20 2006, 03:36 PM)

some reason the vid wouldnt play for me, but readin Jacks post i got the jist of it.. Not for nothin ( and dont think im a racist by statin this plz Im far from it) but isnt this america?!?!? WE ALL have prejudice, WE ALL have oppinions bout certain things & people yeah it sucks if that IS how he thinks but WTF! we are  allowed to have our own thoughts & feelings towards things. If those wanna show off how ignorant & closed minded they are so be it. im prolly not wordin this correctly but, anyway..Im still gonna be laughin my ass off while watchin him on seinfel d & other movies he did, but thats just me i guess  nobodys perfect, and closed minded & ignorant people show us this everyday

I get where you're coming from, Donna.

 

I would never say that Richards has no right to say what he did, no matter how abhorrent I find it to be.

 

All of this PC stuff is not really doing us a lot of good. I would much rather hear the people who think like this say exactly what they mean. That way, I would know exactly who to boycott and who to support. Like with Richards and Gibson.

 

If you want to continue watching 'Seinfeld', then that is your right. I won't, but I have the right to boycott that which I choose to as well.

Edited November 20, 2006 by Jack Aubrey

[rushgoober]

From a different website (SOURCE):

 

QUOTE

The crowd is visibly and audibly confused and upset. Richards responds by saying, "They're going to arrest me for calling a black man a African American." One of the men who was the object of Richard's tirade was outraged, shouting back "That's un-f***ing called for, ain't necessary," TMZ reports. He later told CNN, off-camera, that he was sorry for what happened and that he had made amends. 24 hours later, he was back performing on the same stage.

 

How on earth do you make amends for this?

[Jack Aubrey]

Also:

 

I know how hard it can be to hear someone whose work you enjoy say something that is just awful. It can be downright painful.

 

'Braveheart' is one of my favorite movies of all time. I saw qualities in William Wallace that I myself hold dear, and the fact that Gibson portrayed them so passionately led me to think that he must agree on some level with those qualities or else he wouldn't have been able to portray them so accurately.

 

Then he had his recent run-in with the police.

 

Qualities aside, I saw an aspect of Gibson's personality that I just couldn't support. Ever.

 

I haven't watched 'Braveheart' (or any other Gibson movie) since.

 

 

[tangy]

KKKramer

 

 

[GeddyRulz]

Edited November 20, 2006 by GeddyRulz

[circumstantial tree]

Yeah, I remember he had a followup sitcom after Seinfeld left the air, but it flopped and was immediately cancelled.

 

Much like Jimmy Walker of "Good Times", he got typecast and his career went nowhere afterwards.

 

Both are having to do the stand up club circuit to survive.

[Jack Aubrey]

[1-0-0-1-0-0-1]

QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Nov 20 2006, 04:59 PM)

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Nov 20 2006, 05:21 PM) QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Nov 20 2006, 03:00 PM) 'Braveheart' is one of my favorite movies of all time. I saw qualities in William Wallace that I myself hold dear... Tangent time:   I've still not seen "Braveheart," but I did some reading about Wallace after visiting my in-laws in Scotland.   We toured Stirling Castle in Stirling, site of a couple great battles in Scottish history. Outside the castle is a statue of Robert the Bruce. Across the valley where the battles took place stands the Wallace Monument, visible for miles in every direction and from the highway. The Wallace Monument stands atop a high hill; it's a tower really, with an unusual top.   Apparently, after the film "Braveheart" came out, a Gibson-esque statue of Wallace was placed outside the Wallace Monument. The Scots hated this Hollywood rendition of their historic hero, and immediately campaigned to have the Mel Gibson statue removed. Last I knew, the statue was for sale; I don't know if it's gone yet.   There's a lot of debate about the historic Wallace - what is "truth" and what is "myth" - but one thing is certain: the movie didn't entirely depict him correctly.   'Never speak to me again' meant precisely that. Wow, that was kinda harsh, wasn't it Jack? GR has every right to join in on the topic. The above post from him contained no barbs aimed directly at you. If I'm wrong, let me know.

[GeddyRulz]

QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Nov 20 2006, 04:59 PM)

'Never speak to me again' meant precisely that.

Aw shucks, I may cry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[-D-RocK-]

That is terrible news. I've been a huge fan of Richards almost since the very first Seinfeld episode. Has this been confirmed? That's really too bad. I don't know what else to say. Still love watching Seinfeld and will always continue to do so.

I hope he is truly sorry. Racism is very ugly and evil as far as I'm concerned.

Edited November 20, 2006 by -D-RocK-

[xredsectorx]

geeze, thats terrible

 

i love Seinfeld but i guess i won't be watching it as much anymore

 

way to go Kramer, you jackass

[GeddyRulz]

I'm watching "Seinfeld" right now; a very Kramer-heavy episode, as it turns out.

 

I don't condone what Richards did, but it won't stop me from appreciating his comedic talent as Kramer. Genius.

[JohnnyBlaze]

QUOTE (subdivision40 @ Nov 21 2006, 02:13 AM)

QUOTE (Digital Man @ Nov 20 2006, 12:00 PM) QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Nov 20 2006, 11:55 AM) QUOTE (subdivision40 @ Nov 20 2006, 12:47 PM) Wow! That's really upsetting to see. You hate to see such a talented person self destruct like that. I wonder what he's on? Booze, pills? I'm sure we'll be finding out soon enough. Very sad. All due respect, but if he is on anything it's still no excuse. A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts. That is a good point, Jack. There is just no excuse for the comments he made.   It's sad to see people self-destruct. I don't think it's an excuse for what he did, I'm just saying that I think probably booze or drugs played a part. There is no excuse for his behavior. It was just horrible. Maybe he wasn't self-destructing. Maybe he wasn't under the influence of anything. Maybe he's always been like that and this is just our first time experiencing it.

[GeddyRulz]

Another episode of "Seinfeld" airing now. Ironically, on the very day this Richards thing is making news, Jerry Seinfeld is speaking about how the black-and-white half-and-half cookie at the bakery is a symbol of the two races coming together.

 

The only more ironic episode I can think of is when Kramer dates a black woman. He gets burned in a tanning booth before meeting her parents, and they're insulted by his dark skin... like he did it intentionally, Jolson-esque.