Michael Richards, who played the wacky Cosmo Kramer on the hit TV show "Seinfeld," 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 was 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.

I have found a link to the video-

*WARNING: WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS PROFANE AND RACIAL*
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8044789871599060390&q=michael+richards

I am a huge fan of "Seinfeld" and I just wanted to hear some feedback from other fans.

i think he was a bit drunk and got fired up bucause the people were making fun of him....there is no reason to say any of that though

In all fairness here is a link to his videotaped apology on David Letterman.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5727601579800432446&q=michael+richards

I don't know what to make of this. I have never heard of anything before that would indicate that he is a racist. But you never know. He's seems like he just flipped out, perhaps he was drunk. Of course, that doesn't excuse what he said. It's good that he apologized though.

I believe that Michael Richards just lost control. It really can happen to a lot of people. ._.
I don't think he has any intolerance against people of other ethnicities.

Maybe it was playful insulting gone bad or something...but that just was completely unwarranted. Drunk or not that was wrong.

I really like Seinfeld and even though he may have been joking, it kinda pisses me off because Kramer wouldn't do something like that!

i was a bit shocked when i read this, not sure what to make of it. sometimes alcohol can bring out stuff thats already there but it can also just make u talk utter crap and be overly irrational and easily upset...its a hard one

im just curious but, do u think theres such thing as selective racism? i would say that i come from a very racist background especially where my father and grandfather are concerned but it seems to be only certain races. and religion has a lot to do with it too. last year i was working for a lebanese family and when my father overheard me mention that they were lebanese his first question was are they christain or muslim lebanese? i told him they were christain and he just said "good" scary eh?

i cant stand young lebanese men at my workplace, christain or otherwise, they have a bit of a reputation in sydney, and where im concerned theyre grabby, show a gereral lack of consideration for women and they start fights, i dont have to tolerate or like that sort of behaviour and i can have an opinion on it, but i dont think that makes me a racist...i would by no means call myself politically correct, i say what i feel but i think its more sexism...and ageism...i dislike certain groups of young males!!! haha

Some co-workers were playing the clip at work. And as much as I love the character Kramer..he really went overkill. Even if he was drunk and angry, it's no excuse. I am glad he made a relatively quick public apology - at least he took some responsibility for his actions. I wouldn't call him a racist. I think everyone has some degree of tensions with everyone else (whether it be race, sex, age, social class, religion, etc) constantly - it's just the way life is. . . .and we all vent about these things - doesn't make him a "racist" per se, but the severity of his remarks certainly shows a lack of self control.

Yeah. sometimes people exhibit selective racism, although maybe to be more accurate. selective negative racism. For instance, someone could hate blacks, believing the stereotype that their criminals and of low intelligence. Meanwhile, someone could say 'but those asians are alright, they are good at a math'. Still racism, but they think of the group in terms of a seemingly more positive stereotype.

Here is a good but comical example of selective racism. This is a one of many sketches involving Mark McKinney as an ill-mannered, prejudice cab driver:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA_mR1UkMhk

oh man, i think kramer just had a nervous breakdown, for realz

i just watched that video, and it looked like he had a damn nervous breakdown, he was talking fucked up, "see whats buried beneath you, motherfuckers" maybe he had a nervous break down to the world we live in, which is still pretty racist, but he doesnt seem to really understand why he did that... pretty creepy though

hayden102891 link=topic=788.msg11915#msg11915 date=1164225072]
I really like Seinfeld and even though he may have been joking, it kinda pisses me off because Kramer wouldn't do something like that!


That's what I was thinking too. This behavior is a polar opposite to the character Michael played on Seinfeld. I was so incredibly dissapointed.

to answer the question presented as this topic's header, i certainly do think he's racist. and it's damn sad. just the day before, i was watching old seinfeld dvd's with a friend, telling him how kramer was always my favorite character. then this happened.
i don't care what the excuse is- alcohol, fatigue, anger over heckling... when you say the things he said, you are a racist. he tried to backpedal, using the confrontation of society approach, but that was bullocks. he knew he was done.
what's worse is that as a celebrity, he doesn't just represent himself. in a way, he represents the cast of seinfeld, the jewish community, and white people in general. people will instantly associate his actions with all those other people. perhaps jerry isn't biased toward anyone-black, asian, hispanic, poor, whatever. but now, plenty of people will question not only his integrity, but that of everyone else richards has something in common with.
i raise my fist in the air, shake it manically, and exclaim with clenched teeth,"KRAMER!"

I believe that Michael Richards just lost control. It really can happen to a lot of people. ._.
I don't think he has any intolerance against people of other ethnicities.

At that point I only saw a clip.
I saw the entire video on youtube.com and I don't know any more. I just don't know...

I really love Seinfeld and I watch it nearly everyday, this is just like a thing that kind of ruined everything.

Its like, if he made one comment and said the n word like one time in context, that would be another thing, but he went all out saying things like "Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a f***ing fork up your ass." That's just plain out racist and untolerable, I don't think anyone would even say things like that even if they were drunk and didn't mean it.

*absolutley distrought smiley*
i was so sad when i read about this- seinfeld is one of my favorite shows
its strange because michael is nothing like kramer in person- hes practically the complete opposite- like kramer is really crazy and kooky but in person (not that i have met him) michael is quite serious and reserved. much like this outburst- you wouldnt hear kramer saying something like this.