HOLLYWOOD - Former Seinfeld star Michael Richards left comedy fans stunned during a Friday night performance at Los Angeles' Laugh Factory when he blasted a pair of African-American hecklers with a racist rant.
The funnyman, who played quirky Cosmo Kramer on the beloved sitcom, lost his cool during a stand-up routine at the comedy club when two black audience members challenged him--and his comments were caught on camera.
News Web site TMZ.com, which obtained the footage, reports the comedy show turned ugly when Richards realized his hecklers were black.
He screamed at one of the men, "Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a f**king fork up your ass."
And then, when the playful heckling continued, Richards objected further, ranting, "You can talk... you're brave now, motherf**ker. Throw his ass out. He's a n**ger! He's a n**ger...! Look, there's a n**ger!" One of the hecklers then turned on Richards, shouting, "That's un-f**king called for, ain't necessary."
Responding to the crowd's shock, Richards responded, "They're going to arrest me for calling a black man a n**ger."
Many audience members then left the venue. One African-American audience member, Darryl Pitts, feels Richards should be reprimanded for his racist comments.
He tells CNN, "I feel like something has to be done about. He threw those words around very cavalierly, he mentioned hanging upside down from a tree... It's very upsetting."
As WENN went to press, a protest was being planned outside the Laugh Factory.
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