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

TMZ ^ | 11/20/06 | TMZ Staff

[torchthemummy]

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.

[Michael.SF.]

I'm surprised he needs the money enough to do any live stand up work.

Many very well known comedians use the opportunities of the local clubs to work on new material, timing and other reasons. Money may have nothing to do with it.

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

isn't he a good hollywood liberal?

[Tolsti]

Sounds like he was too high on coke, to me. A potential libertarian?

[staytrue]

click on preferences and change to high speed for better video

[kinghorse]

Didn't watch but figured a fellow no talent hack was making too much cultural money leaning on Kazakhstan and ole Kramer figured to get some headlines.

[incredulous joe]

Ouch! That is going to leave a mark.

Seinfeld DVDs now on sale - dratically reduced - just in time for Festivus!

[Michael.SF.]

In recent times Yankees have tried to turn the term into a negative racial stereotype

The word is not used in the way you describe it, when it is used by blacks directed at whites in general.

[Lijahsbubbe]

This day and age, you cannot get away with anything with all the cell phones, cameras etc. that are around.

I was thinking the same thing. It's getting harder for all of us to hide our true character.

[kinghorse]

the tagline was sarcasm.

[Tolsti]

There's some good ways to deal with hecklers. That was a bad way. Oh well.

[staytrue]

I did not think it was that bad.

Kramer was trying to improvise something entertaining and he failed.

He was also trying to reprise being a nut, but even failed at that.

[Checkers]

A bump about nothing.

[My Favorite Headache]

WOW

[beezdotcom]

In recent times Yankees have tried to turn the term into a negative racial stereotype.

Not necessarily. The term has had multiple parallel origins, not all of them recent, and not all as positive as the "Georgia Cracker" etymology.

[The Lumster]

I don't understand the kneejerk reaction of some people on this forum to defend things that are indefensible.

What's with all these comments claiming that it was a setup or the video wasn't really him or it was the fault of the hecklers?

Watch the video - it was ugly - the man lost it on stage. there is no defense for his tirade. And the crowd did begin leaving before he was done

[kabar]

The only ones who can use the N-Word are black comics and rappers. They are also the only ones along with black and liberal white politicians who can use racial putdowns of whites. Richards may have gone overboard, but I have no idea what went on before he launched into his tirade. It would be interesting to learn how long he had been on stage before the incident and whether it was in the context of his act or not.

[Tolsti]

It does show that even in the USA, we're kind of on the verge of an outbreak of race war anytime. Things can get heated, badly.

[Constitution Day]

Well, it was. You are free to think it wasn't, of course.

[staytrue]

It's getting harder for all of us to hide our true character.

I for one think this is bad. There have been numerous sci fi plots where society knows every thought you think. It always ends badly.

There was even a Gilligan's Island episode where some seed let the castaways read each other's minds. It ended badly too.

Making it so that every word you utter must be PC or inoffensive, will ruin us all.

[torchthemummy]

Thanks for the link. Unforunately Richards doesn't seem to give a cogent defense in his brief off-camera statement.

In the actual video we of course see nothing that of what happened preceding the incident but I seriously doubt, unfortunately, that it justified the disgusting language.

I should also note that Mr. Pitts was not questioned about his use of the term "cracker" by the CNN reporter. The absence of that question again shows the hypocrisy on a racial level and the bias on a media level.