Michael Richards Apologizes

By: Shannon Gossage

Richards, 57, appeared via satellite on the show at Jerry Seinfeld’s request to try and explain his behavior last Friday night. Richards said he was upset by and "took it badly" when two African-American men in the audience at the Laugh Factory comedy club in West Hollywood began heckling him. Richards said via satellite, "I lost my temper on stage. I was trying to do my act and I got heckled. I took it badly and went into a rage and said some really nasty things to some Afro-Americans. I’m really busted up over this. I’m really, really sorry."

Richards went on to say, "I’m concerned about the anger coming through. I’m deeply, deeply sorry. I’m not a racist. That’s what is so insane about this…I just have to do personal work. I’m still reeling from this." The video footage can be viewed on the web and shows Richards becoming angry as he is heckled from the audience. He is seen shouting the "N" word at the men and screaming at them. The video shows Richards yelling at the men and the men yelling back as they are leaving the room. It then shows Richards leave the stage for good. He told Letterman, "I went back onstage that night and I apologized to quite a few people. I didn’t get to talk to everyone. They left. And they went to the press, as they should have."

Seinfeld was set to appear on Letterman’s show and said of Richards, "I did talk to him today. I was extremely upset about it and he’s extremely upset about it so I invited him on the show. He'’ mystified about what happened." Jamie Masada, the owner of the Laugh Factory, refunded everyone’s money on Friday night and reportedly invited Richard’s back to the stage Saturday night to apologize for the incident, but allegedly Richards never even acknowledged it while on stage. Masada has banned Richards from ever performing at any of his comedy clubs. Said Masada, "As a human being I feel terrible. They [the audience] came there to be entertained, not insulted. You have to stand for something. He has to do the right thing or he will not be allowed back. He has to apologize, make amends, speak to everybody and make it work out."