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. Kyle Doss, an African-American, told TMZ he and some friends were in the cheap seats and he was 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 nigger! He's a nigger! He's a nigger! A nigger, look, there's a nigger!"
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 nigger."
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.
― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Bent Over at the Arclight), Monday, 20 November 2006 17:45 (seventeen years ago) link
― parsley, sage francis, rosemary, and thyme (dubplatestyle), Monday, 20 November 2006 17:49 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 20 November 2006 17:49 (seventeen years ago) link
― kingfish prætor (kingfish 2.0), Monday, 20 November 2006 17:49 (seventeen years ago) link
[Vote]
― Good-Time Slim, Uncle Doobie, and the Great 'Frisco Freak-Out (sixteen sergeants, Monday, 20 November 2006 17:50 (seventeen years ago) link
― Good-Time Slim, Uncle Doobie, and the Great 'Frisco Freak-Out (sixteen sergeants, Monday, 20 November 2006 17:52 (seventeen years ago) link
― GOD PUNCH TO HAWKWIND (yournullfame), Monday, 20 November 2006 17:55 (seventeen years ago) link
To be fair, I think Richard's racist tirade should have its own thread (i.e. this one) and not take over the "Favorite Lines From Seinfeld" thread. In the grand scheme of things i guess it doesn't matter much, but it seems a shame to wreck an otherwise humourous thread because one of the former actors of the show is now proving himself to be an asshole.
― shorty (shorty), Monday, 20 November 2006 17:58 (seventeen years ago) link
Posted at 9:02AM on Nov 20th 2006 by Michael Richards
― Edward III (edward iii), Monday, 20 November 2006 17:58 (seventeen years ago) link
― deej.. (deej..), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:00 (seventeen years ago) link
― stet (stet), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:01 (seventeen years ago) link
YouTube link, in case the TMZ video player farts out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UomfLKQr57U
― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Bent Over at the Arclight), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:02 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Bent Over at the Arclight), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:03 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:05 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:06 (seventeen years ago) link
― Noilly Prat (kenan), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:08 (seventeen years ago) link
― deej.. (deej..), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:11 (seventeen years ago) link
What on earth does this mean?
― Allyzay Eisenschefter (allyzay), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:11 (seventeen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:11 (seventeen years ago) link
― 2 american 4 u (blueski), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:11 (seventeen years ago) link
― ^@^ (map), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:12 (seventeen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:13 (seventeen years ago) link
― GOD PUNCH TO HAWKWIND (yournullfame), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:13 (seventeen years ago) link
― Allyzay Eisenschefter (allyzay), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:13 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:13 (seventeen years ago) link
― GOD PUNCH TO HAWKWIND (yournullfame), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:14 (seventeen years ago) link
― geoff (gcannon), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:14 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:15 (seventeen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:15 (seventeen years ago) link
― geoff (gcannon), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:15 (seventeen years ago) link
I'm going to go with 'he is racist'
I mean, plenty of contexts in which you can say, "OK, he has some prejudiced mentality but i wouldn't go so far as to say RACIST" or something like that. But this is pretty much definitive
― deej.. (deej..), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:16 (seventeen years ago) link
― geoff (gcannon), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:17 (seventeen years ago) link
xpost - Ally, John, et al OTM
― Party Time Country Female (pullapartgirl), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:18 (seventeen years ago) link
richards IS totally pwned here. i do wonder what the guy's original heckles were because this is pretty hard to beat.
― 2 american 4 u (blueski), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:18 (seventeen years ago) link
― deej.. (deej..), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:19 (seventeen years ago) link
"I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true"
I myself when arrested carry on about the sun revolving around the earth.
-- Beth Parker (marthasminion...) (webmail), July 31st, 2006 8:16 AM. (Beth Parker) (link)
― ^@^ (map), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:20 (seventeen years ago) link
― Smegma Pi (plsmith), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:21 (seventeen years ago) link
i liked him on fridays
― the car, the hole, and the peekskill meteorite (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:22 (seventeen years ago) link
I don't know but I'm laughing anyway.
I am also laughing at anyone who thinks there's mitigating context to this nonsense.
― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:23 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alex in Baltimore (Alex in Baltimore), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:23 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alex in Baltimore (Alex in Baltimore), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:24 (seventeen years ago) link
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/83-11202006-744776.html
― ^@^ (map), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:25 (seventeen years ago) link
― deej.. (deej..), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:26 (seventeen years ago) link
― parsley, sage francis, rosemary, and thyme (dubplatestyle), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:26 (seventeen years ago) link
maybe he stuck a fork up his own ass?
Pitts, who was not one of the hecklers, added: ‘He didn’t say sorry to me. He offended everyone in the room that night. He needs to make a public apology.’
Comic Paul Rodriguez, who was also on the bill, added: ‘Once the word nigger comes out of your mouth, you have a whole lot of explaining to do.’
Richards, was back on the Laugh Factory stage on Saturday night.
― 2 american 4 u (blueski), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:27 (seventeen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:27 (seventeen years ago) link
haha, Rodriguez then realised his mistake and proceeded to do a whole lot of explaining himself.
― 2 american 4 u (blueski), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:28 (seventeen years ago) link
xpost
― parsley, sage francis, rosemary, and thyme (dubplatestyle), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:28 (seventeen years ago) link
-- 2 american 4 u (n...), November 20th, 2006.
I'm gonna go ahead and disagree there. Although I think it was a combo of writing and the entire cast that made the show so successful, I think the Kramer character was near or at the top for ability to make people laugh. Being typecast because you played a certain character so well doesn't mean you are an 'unfunny' comedian.
Asshole racist? Evidently. Not funny outside of that hateful context? No.
― shorty (shorty), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:28 (seventeen years ago) link
no, this is obviously the work of H.E. Pennypacker
― Alex in Baltimore (Alex in Baltimore), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:28 (seventeen years ago) link
― kingfish, Friday, 13 April 2007 20:29 (seventeen years ago) link
― Hurting 2, Friday, 13 April 2007 22:13 (seventeen years ago) link
― deej, Monday, 16 April 2007 17:08 (seventeen years ago) link
― nabisco, Monday, 16 April 2007 17:19 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 16 April 2007 17:27 (seventeen years ago) link
― danbunny, Monday, 16 April 2007 17:29 (seventeen years ago) link
― tipsy mothra, Monday, 16 April 2007 17:43 (seventeen years ago) link
― kingfish, Monday, 16 April 2007 17:45 (seventeen years ago) link
― kenan, Monday, 16 April 2007 17:54 (seventeen years ago) link
― river wolf, Monday, 16 April 2007 17:55 (seventeen years ago) link
― kingfish, Monday, 16 April 2007 17:57 (seventeen years ago) link
I was wondering today what Michael Richards might be up to...any recent news?
― Joe, Thursday, 7 June 2007 20:10 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.allaahuakbar.net/image/christian_shias.jpg
― marmotwolof, Thursday, 7 June 2007 20:14 (sixteen years ago) link
I love the guy with his hands behind his back. "Ho-hum"...
― Joe, Thursday, 7 June 2007 20:51 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.pajiba.com/images/richards.jpg
― kenan, Thursday, 7 June 2007 20:53 (sixteen years ago) link
Hangin' around with Swami G.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 12 July 2007 06:16 (sixteen years ago) link
"That night, when I was insulted and disrupted"
wtf Any middle school vice principal knows that "He Pushed Me First" is a lame-ass excuse. Fuck you, Mr. Richards. Some degreee of penitence is in order here, if not self-flagellation.
― kenan, Thursday, 12 July 2007 06:29 (sixteen years ago) link
whose career nosedived
I guess it's all relative.
― marmotwolof, Thursday, 12 July 2007 06:30 (sixteen years ago) link
it's incredible. HE STILL DOESN'T GET IT.
― kenan, Thursday, 12 July 2007 06:31 (sixteen years ago) link
At this point he should just do a world tour of the act that made him infamous, and use this link for customized material.
― marmotwolof, Thursday, 12 July 2007 06:39 (sixteen years ago) link
Uh yes, after Seinfeld.
― nathalie, Thursday, 12 July 2007 07:11 (sixteen years ago) link
exactly
― marmotwolof, Thursday, 12 July 2007 07:13 (sixteen years ago) link
hahahahahahaha this thread
― HI DERE, Tuesday, 18 March 2008 03:29 (sixteen years ago) link
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QHcD1yydLgw
― bug, Tuesday, 18 March 2008 03:32 (sixteen years ago) link
Here is the YSI for the (ridiculously out of print) Dick Davy record I mentioned upthread. It's all one file, about 40 minutes/38 minutes.
-- nate p. (natepatrin), Monday, November 20, 2006 10:54 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link
repost plz
― deej, Tuesday, 18 March 2008 05:44 (sixteen years ago) link
woooooooow 1622 posts
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 18 March 2008 05:46 (sixteen years ago) link
uh oh
http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2008/06/23/PH2008062301824.jpg
― scott seward, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 02:07 (fifteen years ago) link
you know what's funny? i was all like: where's that long-ass thread about don imus? but it wasn't about don imus at all. i forgot all about kramerface.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 02:09 (fifteen years ago) link
i'm white btw
― jeff, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 02:13 (fifteen years ago) link
ANNOUNCER: Defensive back Adams "Pacman" Jones, recently signed by the Cowboys, here's a guy suspended all of 2007, following a shooting in a Vegas nightclub.
IMUS: Well, stuff happens. You're in a nightclub, for God's sake. What do you think is gonna happen in a nightclub. People are drinking, and doing drugs. There are women there and people have guns. So there, go ahead.
ANNOUNCER: Also, he's been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005.
IMUS: What color is he?
ANNOUNCER: He's African American.
IMUS: Ha ha, well there you go, now we know.
― Savannah Smiles, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 10:00 (fifteen years ago) link
jokes bruv
― The stickman from the hilarious "xkcd" comics, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 10:02 (fifteen years ago) link
this is the thread that sent us into the sandbox wilderness
― gr8080, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 10:41 (fifteen years ago) link
I hate Imus, but totally think that he was aiming for "African-Americans get targeted by the police more often than whites" line.
― Pleasant Plains, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 15:14 (fifteen years ago) link
it's more confusing than anything else
― n/a, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 15:15 (fifteen years ago) link
I think he probably was too, but he should have actually gotten around to saying so. Like, on the air.
― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 15:16 (fifteen years ago) link
yeah thats the crux of it - i think he was, but i also think he was aware that this was gonna be controversial
― deeznuts, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 15:17 (fifteen years ago) link
I'm surprised people can stay awake long enough to hear anything Imus says.
― bnw, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 15:27 (fifteen years ago) link
It was a bit too ambiguous, especially coming from a guy who's made racially stupid comments before.
― Pleasant Plains, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 15:30 (fifteen years ago) link
Ha ha, well there you go, now we know.
― jeff, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 17:47 (fifteen years ago) link
Saw Michael Richards at Bergamot Station today. When a friend asked me what he was like, or how strangers act around him, I said it's like bumping into Cain from the Bible. It's very odd.
― Cunga, Sunday, 7 March 2010 07:47 (fourteen years ago) link
wow major lols at the nude spock idiocy "omg cracker=just as offensive". can't believe i missed this the first time
― Ballistic, Sunday, 7 March 2010 08:56 (fourteen years ago) link
(ok tying into weird white paranoia ade or nabisco - i get em confused - were mentioning above) there's this one highway exit near auburn alabama that pretty much from what i can tell all ga bulldogs fans are gonna hit anytime the auburn-ga game is there (context), one of the last exits before you're back in ga. i'm driving back thru alabama late one night and i stop at this exit for gas and to use the john and inside the restroom is just an insane amount of lengthy detailed like unabomber manifesto level stuff from different people or pens at least about how 1) blacks run alabama (different term than 'blacks' used obv) 2) blacks have it so easy in alabama and get away with stuff that liberals won't let whites get away 3) and this is why alabama isn't better off. it was damn near a detailed position paper on pro-segregation, anti-affirmative action, o if only whites had the same rights that blacks take for granted, and how come they get to use the n word btw. literally four walls covered with the stuff. and then, the saving grace that saved me from being merely repulsed/terrified by it and amplified how happy i was gonna be to be back in ga (where of course we don't have racism lol), written above this mess above the toilet oblivious of the surrounding white rage: "GO DAWGS!!!"
― j blount (papa la bas), Tuesday, November 21, 2006 1:27 PM (3 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
― some dude, Sunday, 7 March 2010 11:57 (fourteen years ago) link
haha
― T-R-A-P-S-T-R (Curt1s Stephens), Monday, 8 March 2010 04:08 (fourteen years ago) link
cankles [.]
― velko, Monday, 8 March 2010 04:10 (fourteen years ago) link
Gays are discriminated against the most as of 2007, obviously. Racism will more than likely cease to exist in 50 years. Anyone who morphs the issues around their own personal agendas should blow their own brains out.― billstevejim, Friday, April 13, 2007 1:57 PM bookmarkflaglink
― billstevejim, Friday, April 13, 2007 1:57 PM bookmarkflaglink
this hasn't aged particularly well
― Dana Jel Pey (DJP), Wednesday, 7 April 2021 20:14 (three years ago) link
I can understand why YouTube comments threads would have people arguing about this, since YouTube comments threads seem to be populated exclusively by repulsive morons; I'm having a little bit of trouble figuring out why ILX would have to argue anything out about this.P.S. I am really sick of people who are all like "black people call each other nigger all the time" -- this is a severely fucked-up perception based on people getting their information on What Black People Do All the Time pretty much solely from hip-hop videos and The Wire and shit, and I seriously wonder if people who say that honestly believe that the middle-aged woman in the next cubicle at work seriously goes home to her kids and says "what's up, my niggas, we're having Applebee's tonight!"― nabisco (nabisco), Monday, November 20, 2006 4:09 PM bookmarkflaglink
P.S. I am really sick of people who are all like "black people call each other nigger all the time" -- this is a severely fucked-up perception based on people getting their information on What Black People Do All the Time pretty much solely from hip-hop videos and The Wire and shit, and I seriously wonder if people who say that honestly believe that the middle-aged woman in the next cubicle at work seriously goes home to her kids and says "what's up, my niggas, we're having Applebee's tonight!"
― nabisco (nabisco), Monday, November 20, 2006 4:09 PM bookmarkflaglink
conversely, this has aged like fine wine
― Dana Jel Pey (DJP), Wednesday, 7 April 2021 20:22 (three years ago) link
Quite the time capsule, this.
― pomenitul, Wednesday, 7 April 2021 20:23 (three years ago) link
I sometimes think about this incident as something of a watershed moment, since it took place in 2006, right between the launches of YouTube and the iPhone. Only a few years earlier, and the video wouldn't have made its way to the Internet so quickly and been watched so easily.
I also remember my reaction on this thread, which I'm not proud of now. I was very bothered by the fact that people were so quick to call Richards a racist based entirely on the video. In my mind, it was an argument against essentialism (is he "really" a racist, or did he just do a racist thing?) -- but it ultimately amounted to a defense of Richards that I shouldn't have been so invested in, with the privilege of viewing such incidents from a purely academic perspective.
― jaymc, Wednesday, 7 April 2021 22:43 (three years ago) link
i know no one knew what racism was in 2006 or whatever but fucking hell
Is your experience so limited that you've never seen non-racist people behave this way? I know a guy from Texas...he will say some of the most racial shit you ever heard right to a black man's face...He's a blues musician...that doesn't stop him from making chicken jokes...
― new display name (Left), Wednesday, 7 April 2021 23:07 (three years ago) link
yeah, that was called out in 2006 and isn't really in the spirit of the revive
― microsloth fig stimulator (Sufjan Grafton), Thursday, 8 April 2021 04:11 (three years ago) link