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Old March 2nd, 2008 #14
Alex Linder
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Join Date: Nov 2003
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[Michael Richards - "Kramer"]

Laugh Factory incident

On November 17, 2006, during a performance at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood, California, a cell phone video captured Richards[1][9] shouting "Shut up" to a heckler in the audience, followed by "He's a nigger!" to the rest of the audience[10] (using the word 6 times altogether), and also making a reference to lynching. [11] He was addressing a group of black hecklers.[12] Richards made a public apology for his remarks, during a satellite appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman.[13] He described going into a rage and said, "For me to be at a comedy club and to flip out and say this crap, I'm deeply, deeply sorry." He said he was trying to defuse heckling by being even more outrageous, but that it had backfired. Richards later called civil rights leaders Al Sharpton[14] and Jesse Jackson[15] in order to apologize, despite the fact that both of them have been known to use the term in the past. He also appeared as a guest on Jackson's syndicated radio show.[16] A Top Ten List featured on The Late Show in February 2007, titled "Top Ten Ways to Make the Grammy Awards More Exciting" and read by guest Christina Aguilera, mentioned Richards giving out the "rap and hip-hop awards".[17]

Kyle Doss, one of the members of the group that Richards had addressed, gave his explanation to CNN of the events prior to the cell phone video. He said that they had arrived in the middle of the performance and that, "I guess we're being a little loud, because there was 20 of us ordering drinks. And he [Richards] said, 'Look at the stupid Mexicans and blacks being loud up there.'"[14] Richards then continued with his routine. Doss added, "And, then, after a while, I told him, my friend doesn't think you're funny", which triggered Richards' outburst.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael...ctory_incident