Jerry telling the audience not to laugh is the funniest shit that guy has said in his career. I was drinking coffee when this came up, almost choked to death.
I think that the audience was laughing because this attempt was so poorly timed and so poorly executed that they thought it simply had to be a joke. Just an all around dumb idea.
@@Ezekial2517 Yeah absolutely. I still don't understand why he would want to get on a show (That is known for being a mainly comedic show) and do it in front of people who normally laugh every 10 seconds
Seinfeld had him come onto a late night comedy show to apologize for racist remarks. What idiot thinks a comedic actor coming onto a comedic talk show to talk serious with an audience ready to laugh was a good idea?
He might have been okay if he'd had a plethora of achievements behind him like Mel Gibson or Louis CK do, since they at least eventually managed to salvage themselves. All Richards had was Seinfeld though. Even if Kramer was a great character, you need more than that to pull yourself out of a globally-broadcast racist tirade.
If you think about it, this was the first incident of so-called ‘cancel culture’ in the social media age. CZcams had only been around for about a year, and it was the beginning of cell phone cameras becoming ubiquitous. Michael Richards, being an old school comedic performer, was insanely naive not only about how profoundly venomous his outburst would be perceived, but also about the emerging phenomenon of online ‘virality’ of something as simple as an average audience member’s grainy cell phone recording. It was truly the dawning of a new age in the ability of the masses to participate in and even affect the popular culture
I just meant that most celebrities, their agents will probably tell them to STFU. People and the media are so vicious about this kind of stuff it's dangerous for your career to be associated with it in any way. Jerry didn't listen to that, he said no, he's my friend and I'm going to try and help.
This wasn't his first enraged outburst, just the first one where he was caught on video. Back in 1997, I was an unpaid extra in the movie Sudden Death, I was one of many locals who volunteered to sit in the arena seats to look like spectators watching the hockey game. During one of the film crew's breaks they brought Michael Richards out to entertain us, and several extras started heckling him and it became a huge shouting match between him and the hecklers. I don't recall him using any racial slurs then, I just knew I lost a lot of respect for him that night. I can understand Michael Richards getting upset at the hecklers, but to start taking it out on everyone else in the crowd, that's why I lost respect for him.
@@rasalghul9331 I guess maybe he appeared on here because in 2006, youtube was in its infancy along with most of social media. Or maybe it was the idea of some publicist lol comedians from his era seem to go hand and hand with late night talk shows.
Years ago I saw Michael Richards sitting at a table outside of Whole Foods Market in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. SEINFELD was still a series, and I complimented Michael on his acting as Kramer. Michael Richards responded to me very rudely. I started walking away, and he said something to compensate for his rudeness, but it was too late. "Yeah," I replied, and made a hasty exit.
Jiggin Johnson I was just gonna comment that LMAOOO they woulda ran down on him with torch’s and pitch forks 😂😂 Social justice warriors head’s would’ve exploded like the white guy who saw Clayton Bigsby’s face on that Dave Chappelle skit
Not really. I feel people were more willing to stand up for injustices 12 years ago. now, it's more of a don't stand up for what's right, no black loyalty an anything-goes mentality.
JENISE LETT-STOVALL really? From my standpoint I see the complete opposite. Generally, now, if a person simply has a different opinion than someone else, they immediately become confrontational and refuse to have a civil, thoughtful conversation. So in terms of leniency now Vs. 12 years ago, I think there’s far less now.
Lil Rascal sincere? Lmao he was trying to save his already dying career. You seriously think it’s sincere hahahaha he didn’t suddenly not become racist after yelling the n word and wanting slavery
No dude, not genuine at all. Looking at his freak out this guy definitely had some deeply ingrained hatred and he’s only acting this way because his freak out got him in trouble.
Mark Sacher - it would go different if “Kramer” was actually there. It’s easier to relate to the seriousness of the issue in a face to face. All people see via satellite is “Kramer”. His facial expressions look like he is about to say something Kramer ish’ funny!
@Decadent Descent people don't have time for that. why do you think celebs get paid just for endorsing a product? people don't have time to allocate any significant time to try and learn the real truth
Yeah. He just has a funny way of speaking, and we're not used to seeing him not in character as Kramer. I guess the Kramer persona is really part of him. And then Jerry said "Not funny, stop laughing" in his typical deadpan Seinfeld voice, which just made me laugh even more...
This was before social media as we know it and this show was filmed the morning after, before it really hit the news cycle later that night. Most people in the audience had no idea what happened the night before.
+Aubrey Roe they are mostly just sad pathetic people looking for something to focus their self loathing on. The rest are just trolls dwelling in loneliness and sadness.
+Jeffrey Mboya Michael is not a racist. People get angry and they can lash out. His mistake was simply not walking off stage and spouting that stuff in a way to get it blasted all over the world. Clearly he deserves forgiveness and the issue should be forgotten. Nobody got hurt and people should lighten up. Some wanted to use this to push their own agenda. The talking heads need an issue to talk about and he gave them one.
Master Class in public apology. I didn't get one hint of the "they did something bad, and I responded, just in a poor way" vibe you get out of many public apologies where even as they apologize, they try explaining away some of the guilt. Tough to watch, but Richards had some real guts to go through with the apology without resorting to excuses... even if he seemed to somewhat regret it in the moment- as he stated something along the lines of "this may not be the right place for it".
I mean yeah… I’m not gonna lie I didn’t miss him a single bit. Knowing he didn’t ever get to go on stage again (except for Curb) is simply excellent. He’ll never be worried about finances, but friends? Loneliest motherfucker that’s still alive.
I saw this on Letterman as it happened, but knew nothing about the back story, so I thought it was some kind of strange, on-the-spot, comedic stunt and I awkwardly laughed too when Michael said, "I was heckled...and said some pretty nasty things." I'm sure the audience didn't know what was going on either. I've seen some hilarious ways that comedians deal with hecklers, so I was curious to hear what happened.
Disagree, just because he used the bad word are we gonna not acknowledge that he was dealing with scumbags that arrived to his show to be rude towards him and his audience. How does it make sense to be decent to people who aren't decent?
@@RufioTheThird It's not wrong to tell off someone who's being rude or aggressive to you, there's no right way to do it either. Are you saying he should have been kinder to the rude dipshit invading his show? What's next? Be kinder to the axe murderer in your house? No no no buddy, the guy came into his show to be rude, that's a wrong, and Richard told him off and wasn't kind, and that's a right.
RIGHT!! & he ruined his whole career over a heckler that night. Im hurt for him honestly. Being a black female & watching the video, i still hurt for him. He said what he said in the heat which everyone does. All he can do is apologize, but todays society wont let him make it up. Even with all the crooked politicians & low brow shit that goes on out there today. This is old & not even important news. Kramer, when the show was in full swing was still underrated. Richards could have been great.
And maybe because it was the fucking DAVID LETTERMAN SHOW. The audience wasn't expecting anything serious, nor should they. Totally wrong place for a serious apology
Everyone is making fun of Jerry for telling the audience to stop laughing but I thought it was cool of him. Jerry is obviously disgusted and disillusioned, but never withdrew his support for Michael and continued to stick up for him, even if he drew derision for it. A real friend.
I agree that it was benevolent and charitable of Jerry but telling the audience how they should react to this moron smacks of condescension and sanctimony.
Michael meant well but he went on a show that most black people do NOT watch and apologized to the black community. Thats like Chris Rock apologizing to the white community by goin on the BET awards. 🙄
After watching it I actually respect the fact he came on national TV and apologized despite how visibly and audibly difficult it was. What he did was still messed up but he learned from it so...
This was totally the wrong forum for this apology. That’s why the people were laughing. The didn’t know what to expect. Props to Jerry Seinfeld for going out of his way to give Michael an opportunity to apologize! True friend.
DeliverersBestFriend my comment didn’t bring up his religion at all. I am not saying anything like that. I am simply saying he not just being a “good friend,” he had a selfish motive too.
I love how certain people on here act like they've NEVER had a thought run through their head in a moment of weakness, that just happened to be on the racist side. I don't give a flying rat's ass who you are or what race you are, everyone has had a thought or two run through their head at some point in your life. Does that make anyone racist? No, it makes us human. Cut the "holier than thou art" BS and Let's be real here.
@@endocry thank God somebody else gets it. I take care of my black friend's house on the weekends while he talks shit about white people daily. I'm sick of the hypocrisy.
People were probably laughing because they're so used to seeing that face and having a laugh, they probably couldn't fathom the seriousness of the situation.
Like, he's trying to do this super serious/somber apology and it comes across as fucking stupid. Complete with awkward pauses. He's digging himself a deeper hole by doing this farce, so he deserves to be laughed at.
then what's going on? Is this a witch hunt and they have him on tv to embarrass him? Because way I see it, people tend to show their true colors when they're upset and that's when you learn what kind of person they truly are. That and when they're drunk.
what do you mean whats going on? You watched the same video right? The billionaire Jerry Seinfeld asked David Letterman to do him a favor and let Michael Richards explain himself and apologize on his show. I dont know the man but it looked like he was pissed off at some disrespectful people at a comedy club and went for shock value but it backfired. Maybe deep down he is racist, maybe not. But to judge someone solely on something they said, while angry during a performance doesn't seem right. Looked like he just picked the low hanging fruit when trying to shit talk a couple of black guys.
Cookie 33 people go to the late show to laugh. They had been laughing all night and then they see Kramer. Probably not the best place for an apology but he pushed through.
@@goatsmiserable555 yes but honestly I think by the way Jerry and Letterman were addressing the situation pre apology you would've gotten the vibe of seriousness this is of course assuming people had good social reading skills which seems to be very few these days (also I'm NOT saying you're bad at social reading I'm just telling my thinking about your comment)
I remember this happening live. It was such a weird energy cuz no one understood this wasn’t a bit. I hadn’t heard about what happened before I saw it, so I was completely confused. They even set it up like it was a comedy bit they were doing.
One time when I was young during a dinner I couldn't stop giggling at something and my grandfather said "ENOUGH! STOP LAUGHING!" it only made me and my cousins burst out in shared laughter, and he was in a rage. I don't know what started it.
He seemed genuinely disgusted with himself, as he should be. The hecklers deserved some abuse, but unfortunately a racist rant offends everyone and is a ugly thing to witness.
Duncan Wallace It's all shades of grey. Yeah, the set he did (or the portion of it we all can see) was at best in bad taste. But, I mean, this guy isn't a racist. He seems genuine. Something like that rant is just career suicide though, in part because it's so memorable. It's hard to even see him without thinking of the meltdown, let alone to go to one of his shows.
without googling, name me one single thing he did after Seinfeld, and I will concede that his career wasn't dead already. This burned the dead body of his career, making CPR of it, useless, but he didn't have alot of promising roles ahead of him. I do agree that it was an err in judgement vs. a peek at his internal racism...I think he went off in attempt to spin the situation in his favour, but the content was in poor taste and controversial. We haven't yet arrived to the time in our history when it's been so long since slavery that we can joke about it, and assume it will be publicly acceptable or politically correct. He fucked up and it made him look like a piece of shit. (However, from the direction some of these SJWs I see on college campuses are leading the world, soon it will be illegal to make jokes and we will have to have safe spaces inside our homes in case they come in. he went too far, but I don't think this did anything worse to his already faded career. If anything, it put him back in the spotlight for a little while.
I remember seeing this when it aired and at first I thought it was a bit.....then I realized it was supposed to be serious.....totally wrong place to issue an apology.
My thoughts exactly...wtf was Letterman thinking? Seinfeld instigated this, because he was the actual guest. If Richards wanted to apologize, he should have come to the studio, not hidden in some underground bunker. It added enough distance that the audience couldn't read the situation well. Letterman's show was all about smart-ass humor...what was Richards expecting from a late night audience?
Alex H Gee, maybe going on David Letterman (a COMEDY SHOW) isn't the right place to go to make a sincere apology. What the hell is wrong with you to not understand that?
Alex H indeed, some people think comedians can't say anything serious..My experence is that funny people have often very deep personalities. Humour is often a way to cope with the insanity of the world. Good thing he apologized, because it was absolutely necessary. I hope the people he offended can forgive him because I truly believe he means it.
He says he's not a racist and yet when angry and out of control what flys out...racism!! I don't care what anyone says we all harbor racist anxieties. It the fear of otherness. Our better selves work every day to confront and deal with these things and sometimes we don't always win the battle. Fortunately most of the time it just happens in our own heads then we just have to give ourselves a smack to wake up and grow up. It's a whole other ballgame to do it out loud in a setting where not only can others hear your worst instincts but to have them recorded for the world to see and hear. I think Michael Richards real problem wasn't racism so much as anger control issues. He obviously felt hurt and disrespected and his anger caused him to lash out in a way to hurt and disrespect his heckler. Sad.
I'm not defending what he did and you know his career ended that day now in the year 2024.. we have seen other people being racist towards white people there was one other so-called comedian actor that said that white people are closer to be animals and yet he's still out there hosts events while Michael Richards went out and apologize and it does seem sincere... We all say things that we don't mean especially out of anger and he just lost it we must understand that these are human beings now he was a famous celebrity who had a lot of money was on the number one show in the '90s but there is a huge con to becoming a celebrity and that is if you're caught up as scandal and if you're racist especially if you're white that your career is over....
In reality, most minds don't take it seriously in knowing it is just a temper loss of a kind we all do. Nobody cares nor takes it to heart. Never has changed opinions except we miss the talent on tv.
As an audience member at the show they coach you to literally laugh at EVERYTHING because it's probably supposed to be funny. This is one instance where that's not the case.
Brian Turner New York audiences AUTOMATICALLY laugh at anything a celebrity does, and so when Kramer is on Letterman with Jerry Seinfeld, that's the holy trinity.
Al R It just looks too much like a Seinfeld plot-- "Jerry goes on Letterman, and Kramer ruins it by showing up to apologize for saying something stupid on TV." Funnier than the Puffy Shirt. It's the oldest sitcom-cliche: a serious performance on a TV-talk show screws up, but everyone thinks it's a comedy sketch.
Nobody gives a goddamn about race-ranting Michael Richards. Jerry says to the audience that 'this isn't funny, folks'. Since when has ANY comedian ever told an audience what they can, and can not laugh at?
"I messed up big time Jerry. You gotta help me!"
Even Kramer's apology had a laugh track
Kevin Real “conditioned by the laugh track”
I bet he still hears faint laughs every time he enters a room
Shame he didn't have a laughing track the night he flipped out
Nah those was real racist white people laughing
He got more laughs in his apology than at the club that night.
They really went for it in this Seinfeld bit. This is the genius of the show they weren’t afraid to take risks.
a conversation about nothing?
What? 🙄
Kramer bites off more than he can chew when he starts opening for Jerry
They joke about it again on Curb.
Seinfeld S17E4: "The Apology" - Kramer appears on TV to apologize for his racist rant at a comedy show, and it backfires horribly.
Jerry telling the audience not to laugh is the funniest shit that guy has said in his career. I was drinking coffee when this came up, almost choked to death.
He ain’t funny. But Larry David is the man
Not surprised, people like you will always find the most inappropriate thing to do in a moment and go all in. Thats why you are single and on drugs.
lmfao 😂😂😂
Grow up
😂😂😂😂
Kramer looked like he was making a hostage video.
perhaps he was
XD
This killed me LMAO
Lol
Season 12 E6 The Hostage Video
"Stop laughing it not funny", you can clearly hear David Letterman chuckle as Jerry said that
@Joe Mack true lol
I don't need anyone to tell me when I should laugh or not. Plus the shit was funny!
Kramerica
Letterman is a prick
@@djvids6921 Kramerikkka
“Stop laughing, it's not funny”. 😂 Precious
Especially after saying ‘Afro-Americans’ and ‘the Hispanics, the blacks…’ And they wonder why there’s laughter
The awkwardness make it play like a seinfeld epsiode
i guess the laughing audience thought this was an act ..
I think they were reacting to his mannerisms and the fact they associated him with the character Kramer.
They laughed when he said "Afro-American", because, well...wtf is an "Afro-American"?
Jessica de Portland Its an american with an afro. I think he thought it was just short for African american though.
Yes, belying his ignorance on matters related to race. I think that's why they laughed. Awkward
The truth about race is that all races are equally shitty.
I can't imagine being a comedian and telling the audience to stop laughing
Ikr it felt bizarre.
Agreed but they shouldn't of been laughing really, ay? He was being remorseful.
its because seinfeld is gay
He really snapped though in that video lol told them their hanging upside down n shit that's foul
@@bessias2748 Yes he is very homosexual
Everyone needs a friend like Jerry. This was a serious legitimate effort. Audience was just so used to laughing at his comedy.
I think that the audience was laughing because this attempt was so poorly timed and so poorly executed that they thought it simply had to be a joke. Just an all around dumb idea.
@@Ezekial2517 Yeah absolutely. I still don't understand why he would want to get on a show (That is known for being a mainly comedic show) and do it in front of people who normally laugh every 10 seconds
Nobody gives a fuck, he exposed himself as a massive racist and wants to walk back now? You can't do that.
No the audience should be allowed to react in the way they see fit without being chided by a celebrity. You people need some self respect.
Seinfeld had him come onto a late night comedy show to apologize for racist remarks. What idiot thinks a comedic actor coming onto a comedic talk show to talk serious with an audience ready to laugh was a good idea?
I remember the video being posted 17 years ago. Who’s here in 2024
Me. Just came to watch this again after reading his book.
Just came here after watching a random.episode lmao
Even this apology set up by Seinfeld couldn't save his career. When Seinfeld told the audience not to laugh, you knew it was hopeless.
J Q fact
He might have been okay if he'd had a plethora of achievements behind him like Mel Gibson or Louis CK do, since they at least eventually managed to salvage themselves. All Richards had was Seinfeld though. Even if Kramer was a great character, you need more than that to pull yourself out of a globally-broadcast racist tirade.
wöhat?
Adam Broderick If he had another big break, he would be back. Success can distance yourself from something like this over time.
when SEINFIEELD doesn't want you to laugh, you know shit hit the fan
The audience was laughing because everytime anyone looks at him, they immediately think of Kramer. It’s one of those things you just can’t help
Yeah not gonna lie I was laughing my ass off watching this even though I really feel bad for this dude..
@@Idunno-gl1wz same 😭😭😭😭
That's fair enough yeah I don't believe the audience was intentionally being nasty
Actually, you can help it. It's called compartmentalisation. It's what grown-ups do.
@@EminentKnight that’s not very nice
Damn 2006 back when CZcams was AD FREE 😤
"Live on satellite"
If you think about it, this was the first incident of so-called ‘cancel culture’ in the social media age. CZcams had only been around for about a year, and it was the beginning of cell phone cameras becoming ubiquitous. Michael Richards, being an old school comedic performer, was insanely naive not only about how profoundly venomous his outburst would be perceived, but also about the emerging phenomenon of online ‘virality’ of something as simple as an average audience member’s grainy cell phone recording. It was truly the dawning of a new age in the ability of the masses to participate in and even affect the popular culture
underrated comment
Michael's lawyer: Who told you to say the n-word? I didn't tell you to say the n-word!
The Maestro!
Joe M I didn't tell you to say Maestro?
@@thepaulusmaximus "Oh, so a maestro tells you to say the n-word, and you SAY it ?!"
Jackie
Jackie.
Jerry must be a good friend to have. Most people would distance themselves
he is a christian
I just meant that most celebrities, their agents will probably tell them to STFU. People and the media are so vicious about this kind of stuff it's dangerous for your career to be associated with it in any way. Jerry didn't listen to that, he said no, he's my friend and I'm going to try and help.
Michael Richards? He's about as Jewish as the Pope.
context is important you know
Yes a good friend, he is lucky.
This wasn't his first enraged outburst, just the first one where he was caught on video.
Back in 1997, I was an unpaid extra in the movie Sudden Death, I was one of many locals who volunteered to sit in the arena seats to look like spectators watching the hockey game. During one of the film crew's breaks they brought Michael Richards out to entertain us, and several extras started heckling him and it became a huge shouting match between him and the hecklers. I don't recall him using any racial slurs then, I just knew I lost a lot of respect for him that night.
I can understand Michael Richards getting upset at the hecklers, but to start taking it out on everyone else in the crowd, that's why I lost respect for him.
That movie came out in 1995
@@Samkinison-qj9nu I was living in Pittsburgh from 1994 to 1997, I mixed up the year.
@@D2SProductions my bad Lol I want trying to be obnoxious about it I just have like adhd with like years for some dumb reason
Stop lying and btw hecklers deserve to get shouted at. They are toxic.
@@D2SProductionsoh you mixed up the years yeah right liar
"I screwed up Jerry. You gotta help me."
Imagine that Seinfeld bass line playing after some of his sentences.
NOW I CANT NOT IMAGINE THAT! lol damnit
that is gold lol
Seinfeld would never go on letterman again, but it would be comedy gold
That’s hilarious 😂
Make it.
Whoever told him, going on a late time talkshow, where they roast people for a living, was a safe venue to apologize, is insane lol
Ya the wrong place, I agree !!
Seinfeld told him to.
@@MrManflyzesty ah emoji
and David Letterman of all people lolzzz
That would be Jerry Seinfeld
To paraphrase Chris Rock:
"Never apologize in front of White folk."
what was the original quote? I can't find it
@@winstonmarlowe5254 “Never fight in front of white folk”
kinda racist quote
@@samuelb3121 its against white people so its fine
That doesn't apply to this scenario...
This was NOT the forum for this apology.
Wow Seinfield got really dark on this episode.
Michael D how so?
E no pun intended 😂😂
Originality!
I see whatcha dun there!
@@juanita9403 🤣🤣🤣
This was a weird platform for Michael Richards to come out with an apology
It seemed very scripted at the start when Seinfeld talks about it felt very fake
It was 15 years ago. Had this happen today Seinfeld would’ve been completely canceled
Not really, it reached a lot of people.
@@DruidsCalling Both can be true - this platform reached a lot of people AND was a very odd choice for Michael Richards to come out and apologize on
@@rasalghul9331 I guess maybe he appeared on here because in 2006, youtube was in its infancy along with most of social media. Or maybe it was the idea of some publicist lol comedians from his era seem to go hand and hand with late night talk shows.
Years ago I saw Michael Richards sitting at a table outside of Whole Foods Market in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. SEINFELD was still a series, and I complimented Michael on his acting as Kramer. Michael Richards responded to me very rudely. I started walking away, and he said something to compensate for his rudeness, but it was too late. "Yeah," I replied, and made a hasty exit.
Brentwood is for a holes, just like you!
What did he say? lol
Lol
@@Rzngmby
What was said?
@@FilmFarts he called him a n****r
Jerry is true friend to stand behind Michael for going on a racist rant.
He’s lucky this happened 12 years ago and not in 2019....
Jiggin Johnson I was just gonna comment that LMAOOO they woulda ran down on him with torch’s and pitch forks 😂😂 Social justice warriors head’s would’ve exploded like the white guy who saw Clayton Bigsby’s face on that Dave Chappelle skit
The result was pretty much the same. No work since.
Not really. I feel people were more willing to stand up for injustices 12 years ago. now, it's more of a don't stand up for what's right, no black loyalty an anything-goes mentality.
JENISE LETT-STOVALL really? From my standpoint I see the complete opposite. Generally, now, if a person simply has a different opinion than someone else, they immediately become confrontational and refuse to have a civil, thoughtful conversation. So in terms of leniency now Vs. 12 years ago, I think there’s far less now.
Thought the same thing when starting this clip
His sincere apology attempt got more laughs than his stand up🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
Sincere my ass.
Owh..aint that the truth !!
😂😂
Lil Rascal sincere? Lmao he was trying to save his already dying career. You seriously think it’s sincere hahahaha he didn’t suddenly not become racist after yelling the n word and wanting slavery
@@macaroniart7523 it was sincere. Get the stick out of your ass
This seems more genuine than literally every apology video I have ever seen.
Literally what I’m thinking. Like he seems like it actually made him look at himself and learn, unlike 99% of others.
No dude, not genuine at all. Looking at his freak out this guy definitely had some deeply ingrained hatred and he’s only acting this way because his freak out got him in trouble.
@@carlosrivas3489he said he has a lot of personal work to do
Yikes. This is a prime of example of "I'm sorry I'm in trouble"
That's not saying much.
The fact that people are laughing tells you why Racism is not taken seriously. If what he did was antisemitic people would not laugh
A moment of patience in a moment of anger can save you many regrets
Damn man that hit me hard.
True
so Fkn Ture.
Not being a racist helps also lol
I am going to keep this close to my heart.
"Afro American"? So is he apologizing to Bob Ross?
im dying
Not by me. I watched his show all of the time and even painted along with him. I loved Bob Ross.
I think so Bob ross was awesome!
Christopher Rankin hahaha that was hillarious
Christopher Rankin Afro-American is another term for African-American.
In his apology he calls black people afro Americans lol
Soso
Dude Jerry even allowing him to apologize is kind of insane
A major PR blunder. You don't send someone on a late night talk show that is primarily about laughs to issue an apology.
Mark Sacher - it would go different if “Kramer” was actually there. It’s easier to relate to the seriousness of the issue in a face to face. All people see via satellite is “Kramer”. His facial expressions look like he is about to say something Kramer ish’ funny!
you really can't come back from rant
@Decadent Descent people don't have time for that. why do you think celebs get paid just for endorsing a product? people don't have time to allocate any significant time to try and learn the real truth
@gilbert martinez you racist Piece of trash lmao
Agree.
I think the audience is just uncomfortable. They came here to laugh, so their automatic reaction when there are pauses is probably to laugh.
I agree
Cap
Yeah. He just has a funny way of speaking, and we're not used to seeing him not in character as Kramer. I guess the Kramer persona is really part of him. And then Jerry said "Not funny, stop laughing" in his typical deadpan Seinfeld voice, which just made me laugh even more...
Michael Richards is just a funny guy, even when appologizing for a disgusting racist tirade.
This was before social media as we know it and this show was filmed the morning after, before it really hit the news cycle later that night. Most people in the audience had no idea what happened the night before.
He literally said that in the cadence of Kramer. This is just an unbelievably terrible place to do an apology.
The audience laughed at his apology more than his stand-up routine.
First CZcams apology
He is not that Level bad
What... It was on the CBS... Letterman.. not originally on CZcams....
@@taucherdroid It was a joke buddy
@@taucherdroid r/woosh
@@taucherdroidyoutuber apology videos are known for being cringe and akward, he’s saying this was similar
you're still scrolling aren't you?? it's gonna get worse.
+Jeffrey Mboya You made me stop
+yatespmx good, the comments are usually worse than the video.
+Jeffrey Mboya i cant believe the comments lol. makes me want to throw up
+Aubrey Roe they are mostly just sad pathetic people looking for something to focus their self loathing on. The rest are just trolls dwelling in loneliness and sadness.
+Jeffrey Mboya Michael is not a racist. People get angry and they can lash out. His mistake was simply not walking off stage and spouting that stuff in a way to get it blasted all over the world. Clearly he deserves forgiveness and the issue should be forgotten. Nobody got hurt and people should lighten up. Some wanted to use this to push their own agenda. The talking heads need an issue to talk about and he gave them one.
He shouldn't have apologized because his career ended anyway. If your going to be racist, own it. You'll get more respect in the end.
What the fuck are you on about? Racist get no respect 😭
Master Class in public apology. I didn't get one hint of the "they did something bad, and I responded, just in a poor way" vibe you get out of many public apologies where even as they apologize, they try explaining away some of the guilt. Tough to watch, but Richards had some real guts to go through with the apology without resorting to excuses... even if he seemed to somewhat regret it in the moment- as he stated something along the lines of "this may not be the right place for it".
I mean yeah… I’m not gonna lie I didn’t miss him a single bit. Knowing he didn’t ever get to go on stage again (except for Curb) is simply excellent. He’ll never be worried about finances, but friends? Loneliest motherfucker that’s still alive.
Same here. When I'm wrong I'm wrong. And hopefully to get some beer dinner lines or smoke for the sake of humanity
If it was such a masterclass, why was his career over after this?
@@yoloswaggins1579because people refuse to forgive others
Dude he didn’t even name what he did as racism. No, this isn’t a master class in how to apologize.
1:36 “ stop laughing, it’s not funny” Dave’s laughing.
Hahahahaha
I’m pretty sure Jerry said that
@@zeezrawesome132 ya but letterman is laughing in the back
@@ricoguapo7408 I am aware.
The highest paid comedian is telling the crowd to stop laughing. lol can’t make this shit up.
*seinfeld bass plays*
Lmao
Lol
Daniel Kim lmaooo
Now that's savage.
Hahaha
I saw this on Letterman as it happened, but knew nothing about the back story, so I thought it was some kind of strange, on-the-spot, comedic stunt and I awkwardly laughed too when Michael said, "I was heckled...and said some pretty nasty things." I'm sure the audience didn't know what was going on either. I've seen some hilarious ways that comedians deal with hecklers, so I was curious to hear what happened.
He didn’t lose his temper
It’s just that his anger exposed his racism
Shameful
Disagree, just because he used the bad word are we gonna not acknowledge that he was dealing with scumbags that arrived to his show to be rude towards him and his audience. How does it make sense to be decent to people who aren't decent?
@@TercesGarret Two wrongs doesn't make a right. Especially when bearing in mind what Michael Richard said
@@RufioTheThird It's not wrong to tell off someone who's being rude or aggressive to you, there's no right way to do it either. Are you saying he should have been kinder to the rude dipshit invading his show? What's next? Be kinder to the axe murderer in your house?
No no no buddy, the guy came into his show to be rude, that's a wrong, and Richard told him off and wasn't kind, and that's a right.
If your only evidence of his racism was this one incident, then you are committing the fundamental attribution error
Kramer was so good at being funny just standing still the audience can’t help but laugh at just looking at him.
he is awkward irl lol. plus what kind of way of apology is that? so wooden
That’s how bad he was at standup. He’s one of those unintentionally funny people, but his standup just sucked.
@@charlesdaniel6409 yeah a lot of comedians can’t do stand up but are pros in movies or shows
He was looking around and stuff. His body language. He was joking!!
RIGHT!! & he ruined his whole career over a heckler that night. Im hurt for him honestly. Being a black female & watching the video, i still hurt for him. He said what he said in the heat which everyone does. All he can do is apologize, but todays society wont let him make it up. Even with all the crooked politicians & low brow shit that goes on out there today. This is old & not even important news. Kramer, when the show was in full swing was still underrated. Richards could have been great.
The guy got more laughs in the apology then the comedy set
HeatEnd
Hahah what
True. I remember when this happened. Iam not blk, but it took me a few years to get over this.
Funny
Makes sense since he's not funny, never has been
@@TheJFS123 he was fumny in Seinfeld.
I miss Seinfeld. It's one of my favorite shows of all time.
They wiped the digital and physical copies of the show? There's no way to rewatch it???? Wtf that's insane
@@based-ys9um There's always a way.
“The blacks” “the Afro Americans” - non-racists don’t talk that way.
The audience laughing cus they remember his character Kramer. It was a reflex.
Exactly
I'm pretty sure they're laughing because he literally said "afro Americans"
@@malenacarmen_ what a good point lol
And maybe because it was the fucking DAVID LETTERMAN SHOW. The audience wasn't expecting anything serious, nor should they. Totally wrong place for a serious apology
ptlofts yes I have stated that so many times.
All the African Americans who’ve forgiven Michael, I truly commend you. He’s paid the price, his career & reputation was totally destroyed.
I'm not African American, but I've got the genuine vibe that he's got this on his conscience and simply can't "CTRL+Z" that, for the rest of his life
I'm black but I love this guy. We all make mistakes.. forgiveness is the only way to move on
Wow, I'm not the only one watching this 16 years later. Nice :D
@@neuralmodulator
I'M BLACK TOO!!! 🦗
"I'm not a racist."
LAUGH TRACK
No. Just legit laughter. xD
He looks fake when he say it😒
It's like the episode when George is trying to prove to his black coworker that he is not racist.
@@hhrhheh you making assumptions on me dude...
Yeah like when someone is like I’m not lazy and everyone laughs lol
Everyone is making fun of Jerry for telling the audience to stop laughing but I thought it was cool of him. Jerry is obviously disgusted and disillusioned, but never withdrew his support for Michael and continued to stick up for him, even if he drew derision for it. A real friend.
Yep I found him beeing a class act there.
I agree that it was benevolent and charitable of Jerry but telling the audience how they should react to this moron smacks of condescension and sanctimony.
@@pneulancer The audience was clearly confused. He only made it clear that this wasn't supposed to be funny.
Real friends put down a crippled horse
i thought it was very funny
Michael meant well but he went on a show that most black people do NOT watch and apologized to the black community. Thats like Chris Rock apologizing to the white community by goin on the BET awards. 🙄
“Stop laughing not funny”
Lmao I’d burst out laughing from nervousness
Lol you can even hear the host of the show chuckling
Same
@@alistersvenschoff1885 "the host of the show"
@@Jorge.2004 yap
@@Jorge.2004 Yes, the show has ''a host'' and was heard chucking.
First thing Letterman said was, "I don't know him well." LMAO
Trying to cover his ass. Hate that fool
@@victorespino5650 what do you mean?
@@Burialofagod there was no reason for him to distance himself and say that he doesn't know him well or if he does. No one was asking him.
@@victorespino5650 🤦♂️man you're stupid. He means he doesn't want to judge him without knowing him that well.
Putting the dickhead on the letter
After watching it I actually respect the fact he came on national TV and apologized despite how visibly and audibly difficult it was. What he did was still messed up but he learned from it so...
No. That HATE was inside him. He was a comedian. He WAS, THEN, A HATEFUL MAN, also.
FUC HIM AND HIS RACIST HEART.
his pr told him to it's clear he isn't sorry at all he's just sorry that he's getting in trouble
@@0myzack765He would've apologized either way. I think he definitly is sorry about losing his temper. I'm not sure if he thinks the "joke" was bad.
When he said, with a straight face, "I just have to do personal work," I burst out laughing.
This was totally the wrong forum for this apology. That’s why the people were laughing. The didn’t know what to expect.
Props to Jerry Seinfeld for going out of his way to give Michael an opportunity to apologize!
True friend.
Jon & Alycia ... I wish people knew how to write.
I loved Michael Richards til I saw what he did. But now I realize it was his character Kramer that I loved not the real person
DeliverersBestFriend it was 2006....
Seinfeld facilitated the apology partly to preserve dvd sales of the show too.
DeliverersBestFriend my comment didn’t bring up his religion at all. I am not saying anything like that. I am simply saying he not just being a “good friend,” he had a selfish motive too.
Well, that was an awkward seven minutes
Matt C 'I...I'm not a racist...that's what's insane about this'
southlondon86 And those are the famous last words of every racist, right before they say something insanely racist. Lol
lol, true
Chris Hansen I actually saw my uncle lynched
I love how certain people on here act like they've NEVER had a thought run through their head in a moment of weakness, that just happened to be on the racist side. I don't give a flying rat's ass who you are or what race you are, everyone has had a thought or two run through their head at some point in your life. Does that make anyone racist? No, it makes us human. Cut the "holier than thou art" BS and Let's be real here.
The “stop laughing its not funny” sounds exactly like my grandma. I had to play it twice. I miss you grandma.
Lost a tiny bit of respect for Kramer. Never fucking apologize.
The fact that we’re still watching this, proves how bad this was.
@dismalrealm You're a complete asswipe
only just seen this for the first time llol
yeah I mean sometimes comics have bad nights where hecklers get the better of them but this was career ending
I never watched Seinfeld again after that happened and Kramer was my fave characters. I was more disappointed than insulted.
@@endocry thank God somebody else gets it. I take care of my black friend's house on the weekends while he talks shit about white people daily. I'm sick of the hypocrisy.
People were probably laughing because they're so used to seeing that face and having a laugh, they probably couldn't fathom the seriousness of the situation.
Agree.
No, they're laughing because THIS is true comedy.
Like, he's trying to do this super serious/somber apology and it comes across as fucking stupid. Complete with awkward pauses. He's digging himself a deeper hole by doing this farce, so he deserves to be laughed at.
then what's going on? Is this a witch hunt and they have him on tv to embarrass him?
Because way I see it, people tend to show their true colors when they're upset and that's when you learn what kind of person they truly are. That and when they're drunk.
what do you mean whats going on? You watched the same video right? The billionaire Jerry Seinfeld asked David Letterman to do him a favor and let Michael Richards explain himself and apologize on his show.
I dont know the man but it looked like he was pissed off at some disrespectful people at a comedy club and went for shock value but it backfired. Maybe deep down he is racist, maybe not. But to judge someone solely on something they said, while angry during a performance doesn't seem right. Looked like he just picked the low hanging fruit when trying to shit talk a couple of black guys.
This was a mistake to apologize on Letterman. Of course people will laugh
people are laughing because they see Kramer on screen. Not Micheal.
still disrespectful since this was not announced as a sketch, but rather as an apology. People in the audience should have known better
Cookie 33 people go to the late show to laugh. They had been laughing all night and then they see Kramer. Probably not the best place for an apology but he pushed through.
@@goatsmiserable555 I see your point, you're right. I kinda just felt bad for the guy. He looked really sorry about his actions.
Lmao
@@goatsmiserable555 yes but honestly I think by the way Jerry and Letterman were addressing the situation pre apology you would've gotten the vibe of seriousness this is of course assuming people had good social reading skills which seems to be very few these days (also I'm NOT saying you're bad at social reading I'm just telling my thinking about your comment)
Maybe Kramer should look to the cookie.
LOL IM HOWLING
If only the Seinfeld theme music came on after his apology 😅
Jerry:"Stop laughing it's not funny.'
lmao
Brandon Butterfield I kept laughing lol
I fucking laughed harder lmaoo
No. Because you're a nobody.
So if you're a somebody you better pucker your lips and kiss some sweet ass because you're afraid to lose $$$$
What a cucked view you have.
nah.....youre just a dumb fuckin dago gumba….so I wouldn't worry about it
I remember this happening live. It was such a weird energy cuz no one understood this wasn’t a bit. I hadn’t heard about what happened before I saw it, so I was completely confused. They even set it up like it was a comedy bit they were doing.
Yea super cringe
it looks like an SNL parody
Seinfeld went into it with an unintentional smirk. That set the stage.
@@NoName-ml5yk that’s just cuz Seinfeld has resting smirk face
He would have been better off just pretending it didn't happen and waiting for it to blow over. This made him look even worse. "Afro-Americans?"
As the N-word, i consider this an absolute win
These pretzels are making me thirsty
😀😀😀😀
Im binge watching the show lol.
🤣🤣🤣
It amuses me that people just refer to him as simply "Kramer" instead of Michael Richards.
Same with Screech and Urkel.
Logic fuck you
Who's Michael Richards???
Because he’s never done anything else that people remember. Seinfeld is it.
@Logic livid
Sure he did wrong, very very wrong. But those bastards shouldn’t have been so disrespectful in the first place. They’re not innocent.
IF this happened this year he could have just positioned himself as a trump loyalist and ran for congress.
The fact that it isn't funny makes it hilarious
Wow you’re fucked in the head aren’t cha
One time when I was young during a dinner I couldn't stop giggling at something and my grandfather said "ENOUGH! STOP LAUGHING!" it only made me and my cousins burst out in shared laughter, and he was in a rage. I don't know what started it.
No your just immature.
This is some of the best comedy I've ever seen
oooh
He seemed genuinely disgusted with himself, as he should be. The hecklers deserved some abuse, but unfortunately a racist rant offends everyone and is a ugly thing to witness.
I think he lost his temper and said something stupid we're all guilty of that is it right absolutely not
Duncan Wallace It's all shades of grey. Yeah, the set he did (or the portion of it we all can see) was at best in bad taste. But, I mean, this guy isn't a racist. He seems genuine. Something like that rant is just career suicide though, in part because it's so memorable. It's hard to even see him without thinking of the meltdown, let alone to go to one of his shows.
without googling, name me one single thing he did after Seinfeld, and I will concede that his career wasn't dead already. This burned the dead body of his career, making CPR of it, useless, but he didn't have alot of promising roles ahead of him.
I do agree that it was an err in judgement vs. a peek at his internal racism...I think he went off in attempt to spin the situation in his favour, but the content was in poor taste and controversial. We haven't yet arrived to the time in our history when it's been so long since slavery that we can joke about it, and assume it will be publicly acceptable or politically correct. He fucked up and it made him look like a piece of shit. (However, from the direction some of these SJWs I see on college campuses are leading the world, soon it will be illegal to make jokes and we will have to have safe spaces inside our homes in case they come in.
he went too far, but I don't think this did anything worse to his already faded career. If anything, it put him back in the spotlight for a little while.
Ashly Boss no more Vodafone adds... did he do that? That's about the only thing I can name. It might not have been Vodafone, it was a long time ago.
racist? I think he said things he should not have said, racist? no. I know what racism is, you clearly don't.
Let’s go on a comedy show and try to apologize to the nation and then get salty when people think it’s a joke
It's an inherently ridiculous situation. Even if it's nervous laughter the people reacted naturally.
This intro with the crowd and lettermen laughing and Jerry needing to tell them not to laugh is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.
I remember seeing this when it aired and at first I thought it was a bit.....then I realized it was supposed to be serious.....totally wrong place to issue an apology.
No you don't
Yeah no you don’t
Below Me I don’t see what’s so hard to believe that someone saw this when it aired...
My thoughts exactly...wtf was Letterman thinking? Seinfeld instigated this, because he was the actual guest. If Richards wanted to apologize, he should have come to the studio, not hidden in some underground bunker. It added enough distance that the audience couldn't read the situation well. Letterman's show was all about smart-ass humor...what was Richards expecting from a late night audience?
@Richard Johnson it's sad that people think like you. What a shitty world.
this man isn't even joking, he has some terminology outdated but jesus christ, a sincere apology taken as a joke, that's what's sad
Alex H Gee, maybe going on David Letterman (a COMEDY SHOW) isn't the right place to go to make a sincere apology. What the hell is wrong with you to not understand that?
***** MmMmMAybe f0x news!
Alex H indeed, some people think comedians can't say anything serious..My experence is that funny people have often very deep personalities. Humour is often a way to cope with the insanity of the world. Good thing he apologized, because it was absolutely necessary. I hope the people he offended can forgive him because I truly believe he means it.
Alex H I think the main reason is because of how goofy and unserious he was on Seinfeld.
Alex H Doubt this was sincere at all he just realized he fucked up his career and that's what bothering him.
I’ve said that word so many times, my boy at work is black and we say it all the time, even with the Mexicans. Y’all were too sensitive
He says he's not a racist and yet when angry and out of control what flys out...racism!! I don't care what anyone says we all harbor racist anxieties. It the fear of otherness. Our better selves work every day to confront and deal with these things and sometimes we don't always win the battle. Fortunately most of the time it just happens in our own heads then we just have to give ourselves a smack to wake up and grow up. It's a whole other ballgame to do it out loud in a setting where not only can others hear your worst instincts but to have them recorded for the world to see and hear. I think Michael Richards real problem wasn't racism so much as anger control issues. He obviously felt hurt and disrespected and his anger caused him to lash out in a way to hurt and disrespect his heckler. Sad.
I never saw this Curb Your Enthusiasm episode.
Dr. Zoidberg Pretty sure it’s Seinfeld
They literally did an episode on this
@@pizzajona Oh... what season?
@@pizzajona not really an episode, they made a bit of a joke about it for about 30 seconds
@@dr.zoidberg4313 the seinfeld reunion episodes - Series 7
after that kramer couldnt even get a job at vandelay industries
Only True Seinfeld fans know what you are talking about!
😂🤣😂🤣😆😆😆
Don't worry, his boy Bob Sacamento got his back
Love 💕 that!! Gold mate😂😂don’t tell George 😂😂🕺
Or kramerica
I'm not defending what he did and you know his career ended that day now in the year 2024.. we have seen other people being racist towards white people there was one other so-called comedian actor that said that white people are closer to be animals and yet he's still out there hosts events while Michael Richards went out and apologize and it does seem sincere... We all say things that we don't mean especially out of anger and he just lost it we must understand that these are human beings now he was a famous celebrity who had a lot of money was on the number one show in the '90s but there is a huge con to becoming a celebrity and that is if you're caught up as scandal and if you're racist especially if you're white that your career is over....
This is the craziest thing ive ever seen its as if this is a seinfeld episode come alive
"My apologies I just went sicko mode"
He went into a state of demonic rage
so he predicted a song name? :thinking: i could be wrong tho >_>
@@NepNepYT he said that comment 4 months ago u simple dumb fuck...
In reality, most minds don't take it seriously in knowing it is just a temper loss of a kind we all do. Nobody cares nor takes it to heart. Never has changed opinions except we miss the talent on tv.
Shooty McSh00ty psycho?
What the hell is the audience laughing at??? I don't get it...
Afro Americans
Al R Nervous laughter. It's also part of crowd mentality.
As an audience member at the show they coach you to literally laugh at EVERYTHING because it's probably supposed to be funny. This is one instance where that's not the case.
Brian Turner New York audiences AUTOMATICALLY laugh at anything a celebrity does, and so when Kramer is on Letterman with Jerry Seinfeld, that's the holy trinity.
Al R It just looks too much like a Seinfeld plot-- "Jerry goes on Letterman, and Kramer ruins it by showing up to apologize for saying something stupid on TV." Funnier than the Puffy Shirt.
It's the oldest sitcom-cliche: a serious performance on a TV-talk show screws up, but everyone thinks it's a comedy sketch.
Nobody gives a goddamn about race-ranting Michael Richards. Jerry says to the audience that 'this isn't funny, folks'.
Since when has ANY comedian ever told an audience what they can, and can not laugh at?
Serenity now
Insanity later hhhhhhhhhh.
Farley vision thank you for that.
S E R E N I T Y *_N O W_*
Remember? Serenity now, insanity later. C'mon, that is Seinfeld 101.
Hoochie mama!!
Giddy up!
This is actually one of the most legit apologies I've seen on mass media.
All I see is a racist who got caught trying to cover his own ass
Nah
Uh....no.....
@@Jb991-q9x Yeah. Weird. Terrible idea..
Had he not insisted that he was not racist I’d agree.
"I asked him if he would come on the show tonight" you mean, you told him to come on the show.
What happened to: You can talk, you can talk, you can talk, you're brave now.
Kramer trying to apologize is a joke.
Man really called black people afro Americans
I’m dead😂
They do it in the uk too afro-caribbean decent. Its the usual there.
I know, the first time I saw this I said "Did he really just say that during his apology?"
I don't care that I'm black. In the context of this apology, that part was funny as hell.
Nothing anyone says will appeal to you people.. everything offends you.
thats not