The apologizing has begun: Seinfeld star Michael Richards popped up via satellite during Jerry Seinfeld’s appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman last night, saying he was ”busted up” over his caught-on-tape racist rant at the Laugh Factory in L.A. (Watch his apology here.) Looking exhausted and sounding addled, Richards launched into a bizarre mea culpa that referenced, among other things, ”Afro-Americans” (a term I haven’t encountered since my early-’80s social studies textbooks), Hurricane Katrina, international relations, jujitsu, and ”the rage” inside him. About the fallout from the incident: ”I’m concerned about more hate and more rage and more anger coming through, not just toward me but toward a black/white conflict. There’s a great deal of disturbance in this country, in how blacks feel about what happened in Katrina, and you know, many of the comics, many performers are in Vegas or New Orleans trying to raise money for what happened there. And for this to happen, for me to be at a comedy club and flip out and say this crap, I’m deeply, deeply sorry.”
But when Letterman asked if being completely inappropriate on stage was his way of attempting to make light of the situation at the Laugh Factory (where he was being heckled), Richards confirmed that was his intent, but ”it didn’t work out…. Talk about a bad night.” The interview ended with Richards saying, ”I just have to do personal work…. I’m still reeling from this.”
So the question for you, PopWatchers, is: Apology accepted? As an ”Afro-American” fan of Seinfeld myself, I was truly disappointed in Richards’ behavior, and in his apology too (though I’m not sure any apology can ever make me forget his atrocious actions). I appreciate that he responded so quickly, but I found his strange rambling extremely uncomfortable to watch. I just wish he had simply said that he was completely wrong, that he was sorry, that there was no excuse for the things he said on the stage that night, and that he was getting help (I’m not sure ”personal work” is gonna do it). Anyway, look for more apologies in the coming days — here’s hoping they’re a bit more succinct and well-thought-out.
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Thank you, Dawnie Walton, for a gracious, reasonable response to a rotten incident and a clearly very troubled man. As a Seinfeld fan, I too am deeply disappointed in Richards, and I doubt his career can recover from this.
However, my hope is that Richards will simply, quietly retire and disappear from public view. He he has sadly shown such an unacceptable side of himself that, no matter what the content of his apology, I don’t think I will be able to get beyond it. And I think many others, no matter what their ethnicity, probably feel the same.
I don’t know who was giving Richards and Seinfeld PR advice but that was a colossal failure and probably will make things worse.
I didn’t hear anything in Richard’s apology that even remotely excuses his behaviour. Letterman and Seinfeld come off looking like idiots as well.
Richards is a grown man and he acted totally insane. And “Afro-Americans”? Seriously?? You’re absolutely right. The only appropriate apology here is: “I’m sorry. It was completely horrible. It will never happen again.” I don’t see how he can recover from this…and he’s kinda ruined old Seinfeld episodes for me…
Michael Richards seems to be having a hard time getting a job. He’s not a standup comic, so he was out of his element. I don’t know who he is outside of Kramer, maybe he should leave show business altogether.
His apology is fake. He showed the world what he really is. And he is not alone. There is always truth in humor. Comedians make jokes about their true feelings. People are disappointed in an actor. The definition of actor is stage hypocrite.
every has-been celebrity in hollywood is one role or one scandal away from a comeback. if ms. tara reid can clean up her act, co-host the view, and appear on a “best dressed” list (thank you us weekly), then michael richards can too recover from this. i think his apology was heartfelt. i think he tried. i think he made a colossal mistake and he should totally be eating it for a while. but ultimately, the man was comedic genius on seinfeld. i don’t think he’ll be dead in hollywood forever. look at charlie sheen.
Sorry Dave. The past is what it is-gone! Yes, perhaps he will make a return, but only for those who have the same sentiments as he does. His “I am so sorry” does not wash. He is a fake, period!
Am I the only one seeing parallels between this and Mel Gibson? Why the different treatments?
Laura,
I am with you. I guess it depends on who you are insulting.
To me, as an “Afro-American”, Kramer is Kramer is Kramer. Kramer is a character and, regardless of the person behind the greater, I will be buying the Season 7 DVD. I accept his apology and have moved on. Trust me people, another “scandal” is just one news cycle away…we won’t be talking about this is one week from now…..
oops, should read…[...]regardless of the person behind the character [...]“
I’ve deleted Seinfeld from my DVR. I can’t watch him now. I hope Richards sees a doctor and it turns out he has some wild chemical imbalance, because a medical apology is the only one I’ll accept.
I watched his ‘apology’ on Letterman last night and was unmoved.
you can’t fake hatred and ignorance like he spouted the other night
I didn’t think the world should ‘forgive’ Mel Gibson, and I don’t think Richards deserves any of our time or forgivness.
Give the guy a chance – it was obvious last night that he probably hadn’t slept at all since “the incident” and wasn’t ready to go on tv, but somebody (Seinfeld) had convinced him he had to. Also, it’s incorrect that he’s not a standup comedian – Richards did standup long before Seinfeld. In fact, you can see him on a Carson-era Tonight Show on one of the Seinfeld DVDs.
It is weird to hear someone say “Afro-American” in 2006, but I heard Wynton Marsalias say it last week, so maybe it’s making a comeback.
Sorry, I disagree. Although clearly uncomfortable to watch, I think that was coming from deep internal pain. He said all the words you’re asking him to say and many more. And I think he meant “personal work” as “I have to do something to keep from blowing my head off.” As for “Afro Americans,” I think that reinforces that he’s not particularly attuned to proper discourse on issues of race. But we already knew that (and more) from his tirade — I’m sure he didn’t spend the last two days trying to figure out what is and isn’t the currently preferred way to refer to a group.
In short, he offered what appeared to me to be a serious apology. I’m not sure why the particular mix of words or the length of the statement matter. Whether he follows through on his commitment to become a better person and lessen the hate in the world is far more important than making sure he said the magic words in his apology.
As a Seinfeld fan, I don’t know what to make of Michael Richards last night. His apology, that is. His words were indefensible. I’ll probably never be able to watch the show the same way again.
Dawnie Walton, you are a better person than me. I too have been a Seinfeld, and Kramer for that matter, fan, but found Richards’ actions unstomachable. His quick response by way of satellite apology was not commendable – it was the response of a man who feels his career slipping through his fingers. Maybe he was sincere — we don’t know b/c we aren’t the man. But we are fools if we accpet that he’s not a racist when these absurdly offensive terms came ouf of his mouth. My mom always said: if it looks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s a duck. Quack, quack Michael.
Michael Richards appologized for his actions/comments on that one particular night. He happened to get caught on tape during a racial tirade. That doesn’t convince me that those aren’t his true feelings, and that he doesn’t say things like that when the cameras aren’t rolling. I liked Seinfeld, even though the minority characters/recurring roles were very few and far in between. I never understood how that show, Sex in the City and Friends all took place in New York City, one of the countries biggest melting pots, and black and minority characters were hardly anywhere to be found. Not even in the background as extras!
Last night on a Seinfeld rerun was the one where they parked in the handicapped parking space; for some reason, last night was the first time I switched to something else. I could just not bring myself to laugh. Although I do commend Jerry Seinfeld for sticking by his friend; he seemed absolutely disgusted, but willing to forgive. None of us have the same thoughts/feelings as our friends and if we all broke ties with a friend who displayed racist, discriminatory, derogatory, rude, and inappropriate behavior in their lives, we would have no friends. Although I do wonder if he will be inviting Mel Gibson over for dinner anytime soon. I really wish these people would stick to acting and receiving overpriced gifts and just shut up the rest of time!
There is no truth to the rumor that Michael Richards is starring in Mel Gibson’s remake of “Birth of a Nation”.
Seriously, though: there was an interesting comment from Paul Rodriguez, who owns the Laugh Factory in LA (I don’t have the exact quote): He said that he was waiting for a punch line that would justify that kind of reprehensible language, but none came. If he had pulled off any kind of joke, this would be a non-story. But instead, we’re talking about a comedic actor exposing himself as a bigot.
Laura, what is the difference between how this is being handled vs. Mel Gibson? Both are being publicly lambasted; there are two key differences: Gibson was arrested for what should have been a felony, and he also had more of an active career. Michael Richards doesn’t ever have to work again (and given the last movie he was in, Trial and Error, and his post-Seinfeld sitcom, that might not be such a bad idea), and if this hadn’t happened, our only exposure to him would be through syndication and DVDs. This story probably will be gone faster since Richards is out of the public eye.
I watched the apology and I couldn’t help but laugh. When Richards used the word, “Afro American” I think he lost his audience. That term is used usually during a comedy skit and with Richards useing his comedy face, it didn’t go over too well.
As Jillian Barbarie said on Good Day L.A this morning, “there is a lot of rage inside that man and you don’t say those things unless you’re a racist.”
I JUST HEARD ON THE RADIO WHEN HE SAID THE N WORD MANY TIMES, I DON’T FEEL THAT HIS APOLOGY WILL BE ACCEPTED. I AM A FAN OF SEINFELD BUT NOW L’M NOT SURE I WILL BE WATCHING IT..
I had not seen the tirade (nor the apology) until now. The stand-up routine is bizarre, reprehensible and pointedly unfunny — and I have to say that both the apology and the fact that it was on Letterman is almost just as bizarre.
I don’t usually turn away from Seinfeld and, quite honestly, I probably won’t now. (His character was never my favorite anyway — I was more a fan of Julia Louis-Dreyfuss.) Then again, I’m not such a huge fan that I watched the show much anyway. That said, I can’t imagine patronizing anything else he does following this. I agree with Honeybee below that the man needs to quietly go away.
He wasn’t a big star before this and he won’t be a big star after this. I think we should all just let it go now and personally, I think he sounded like he was truly sorry. It must be very humiliating to suffer a nervous breakdown on stage, now on video, for the world to see. That doesn’t excuse the vicous, racist things he said, but it should be taken in the context of watching a man just lose his mind in public.
If you liked Seinfeld before, you should keep watching it, because if our ability to enjoy entertainment were dependent on the performers being decent people, we would probably never be able to watch a movie, tv show, or listen to any music again!
Back when Seinfeld was in its heyday, I was at a phone booth (remember those?) trying to console a friend. It was in a secluded corner of a glorified strip mall in Studio City, California, when to my surprise, here comes Michael Richards walking straight towards me. There was nobody else around. I am a Black man, for the record. I asked my friend to hold, covered the receiver and said hello. He responded, something like, “hey, what, are you doing a deal?” Then, a look of shock came over his face and he threw up a peace sign and ducked around a corner. All these years, I felt guilty for assuming he was making a racist remark about a Black man at a phone booth. Maybe he meant a Hollywood deal. Maybe. But now…
There is nothing a black celebrity can say, especially at a comedy club, that can get he/she is any kind of trouble like richards. OJ killed two white people and got a book deal!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (it will eventually be released despite the cancellation of the tv special)
The man is racist plan and simple. No apology will change what he really feels deep down. His rage just brought out his true feelings. It would be nice for all the racist to come out so I can stop supporting them and dealing with them on personal levels. I don’t know why these people revel in how evil they are. The only people that will forgive him or want to give him a chance are people like him who use these words behind close doors but be all friendly like they aren’t racist. There’s also the ones who want to fit in so bad that they can’t figure out when they have been insulted or lied to.
I used to watch his show all the time. Never again will I support anything Seinfeld.
I am appalled that David Letterman offered a venue for Michael and Jerry to plug their dvd and half heartedly apoligize for Michael showing us who he is.
I feel sorry for Michael. He is a racist who cannot be himself in public. If he showed who he really was years ago, he would not be the millionaire he is today. It must be tough for him to repress his true self in order to be a successful actor. You could see it burning his soul last night apologizing. I am sure he hates that he cannot be a popular actor and bigot at the same time.
David was trying to help him explain which disappoints me. I like Dave and he should have let him have it instead of playing softball with him.
Michael Richards is an angry racist and should be shunned by Hollywood and America.
The thing about the afro -americans was bad. I am black and my roomate is white, what really made our jaws hit the floor, what mr. riichards reference to “the blacks” and “the hispansics”. I have to concur with my roomate on this one, only really racists peeople say stuff like “the blacks” or “the whites” in the way mr richards did. I ALSO agree that was a very uncomfortable apology, I will no longer mock atheletes who use prepared apologies, i realize now they aren’t cowards, they are just using there brains and resources.
His very use of the terms “Afro-American” and “the” before blacks and Hispanics show me that not only is his apology insincere it, but that he’s stupid too