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TV's Kramer Scandal: Michael Richard’s Racial Outburst at a Comedy Club

We watched the Kramer outburst on YouTube and they had cut off the parts that started all of it -Kramer being threatened by these black hecklers.  The first time Kramer said the N word -the whole audience laughed -and the more relentless the heckler was the more Kramer lost it and then the audience figured out they wanted to be politically correct.   Kramer was awesome on Seinfeld -his spontaneity was something to behold -a much higher level of acting than you normally find -I don't think anyone knew what was coming out of his mouth.

Kramer is a super talent & will come back from all of this.   I say the whole thing was a setup by the heckler -but the rage on Kramer's part was a tragedy and Kramer knows it.  Frankly, I wish someone would have the courage to say:  you blacks take N out of every 4 words you yell out on all of your comedy shows on cable, MTV/BET Videos,  and then you might expect the white comedians to follow suit.  But blacks have long been pampered for their ability to be crude.

I do not agree with Sinbad that his apology was not appropriate.  Michael Richards came on David Letterman and made a sincere apology.  People were even laughing in the audience on Letterman and Richards still made sure everyone knew he was sincere.

Garrison, Republican, Montana

Thing about hecklers is, they are a standard part of any

comic's work. Hecklers are not only tolerated in comedy clubs, they are expected, to the point that all stand-ups are expected to have routine comebacks they can use when heckled - it's part of the act. Steve Martin, when heckled, had some great comebacks, including my favorite: "Yeah, I remember my first beer." To lose your cool and rage when heckled is considered really amateurish. I also saw the Richards act, and I think he was trying to turn the heckling into part of his routine, but he made a really bad call on how he did it.
 As far as the "N" word goes, there's just no way it can come out of a white man's mouth without sounding racist. Whether they say it or not, we shouldn't, but more importantly, we shouldn't want to say it. It's a hateful word, and I'd be kind of worried if I found it rolling around inside my brain. That's not me being P.C. - that's just me being honest.

David, Democrat, New Jersey

Leave it to Gloria Allred the attorney to get involved in the Michael Richards comedy club scandal of 2006.  She is representing the two black guys who Cramer was yelling at.  She is always getting her face on TV taking on every case that comes up even if there isn't a case this lady gets involved trying to make some money or publicity for herself.

I saw the black guys/hecklers interviewed last night.  They seemed like perfectly nice guys.  Not at all the unprovoked heckler types, said Kramer started tossing the n-word at them before they'd even ordered their drinks.  They responded that it wasn't funny and Kramer let loose his cannonade of insults.

But yeah, those high-profile attorneys, like Gloria Allred, do get around, don't they---ambulance chasers of a sort, probably chase TV crews.

I would have thought a pro would be able to handle hecklers, especially at an informal joint like a comedy club.  I mean, it's not like we're talking Carnegie Hall here. 

Rosey, Maine