Indeed. Michael Richards always played that "spastic weirdo". From "UHF" to "The Michael Richards Show". He always played that character. That's why he failed that night because he wasn't a stand-up comedian. He was more of a sketch comedy actor. And even if he was a "stand up" before "Fridays", he should've spent some time in a rural comedy club honing his act before hitting LA.
@@hyfr5053 probably just the sudden change of rage, showing his true colors and then going on this show with such a half crap apology is hilarious, can't believe I never saw this till now
*bursts in* “Oh man, Jerry. This is bad. This is REAAAAL bad.” “What’s bad?” “I said it, Jerry. I said it a bunch of times.” “You said what?” “It! I said it!” “You said IT? Why?! You never say it.”
Jerry: Didn't you call me an anti-dentite that one time? Kramer: I'm sorry, Jerry. I'm sorry..... It flashed out of me.... I'll make it up to you, buddy.
@@antichavista82 Tbh, they did talk during his standup. Heckling is an offense punishable by any means necessary. The hecklers should have apologized to Micheal Richards.
Seinfeld's such a whiny bitch. Implicit in his demand is the thought that he knows better than anyone in the audience and that his feelings should dictate how they receive this ridiculous charade. He fuckin' brought it on himself. He's almost as much of a joke as Kramer, and he can get fucked.
@@tiny_toilet he has revealed himself to be pretty insufferable as a person in his recent career. Out of touch and bitchy. But I definitely think he is on the spectrum too, which he was the first to suggest.
I don't like the term African American. It became popular maybe 30 years ago to make stereotypes sound academic. Then I've heard white British children call black British people African American. I pointed it out to a kid that is makes no sense so he asked what he should call them. I said "why don't you ask people what they want to be called?"
Its a way to segregate people of the same nationality. Americans are American regardless of their skin color. All Americans should stand for the national anthem.@@jawz101_fpv7
and everyone was laughing too. he just seems out of touch personally with society. like maybe he has some genuine mental issues. I've always thought he was a little too kooky for it to just be acting. he's just out of touch. I don't think he's a racist or anything.
He grew up during an era in which blatant and legal racism actually existed. As in, segregation: separate schools, restaurants, bathrooms, etc. for blacks vs. whites. That's what he means. It's not a "trust me, bro."
Never bothered with Seinfeld so I just see a dude. I was a kid/teen in the 90s and at the time the show was boring to me. I'm watching it now on Netflix to see what I missed.
@@sacr3 I’m a huge fan but I don’t get mad when people say they don’t like it or it’s boring. I can understand how they see that. There’s literally no story line and some of the acting is pretty bad. But I’ve always felt that the combination of the material and the bad acting made it even funnier.
@@justinwilson1359 Jerry is not a good actor at all. Other than that, everyone is exceptional. Julia, Michael, and Jason are absolutely mind-blowing with their acting.
@@MrIanWebb How do we know? Letterman involvement? Check. Misunderstood goofy sitcom star? Check. Eventual disappearance from the public eye? Checkmate.
justin chiampa I think the fact that his friend Jerry was there is what drew him to Letterman that night. Had Jerry not been there, it probably would have been Today Show or something. Probably a better idea.
I don't have anything against Jerry Seinfeld but maybe there's something I don't know? 🤷♂️ I was just going to add that I think he is by far the highest paid comedian... Maybe even of all time, or so far? Seinfeld is by far the highest grossing sitcom that has ever aired in the United States and have you heard the rumors about how much he got paid for the Netflix special?? I'm not sure how true this is but, I read somewhere that they offered him an extra 10 million to do the helicopter jump in the beginning. He agreed but only if he got to choose his trainer length of training helicopter and pilot. 😁 *Smart I think there's a reason this gentleman is so well-paid. As far as the other commenter here I wonder what Jerry did to him or her?
@@davids.3584 "Scumbag" is an overstatement, but it is pretty well-known that Seinfeld is not warm with people outside his orbit. He doesn't like fans coming up to him. He makes fun of everything, which some people find insulting and disingenuous. He's basically the anti-Tom Hanks (or Bizarro Tom Hanks, if you will). Having said that, I've never heard of him really doing anything terrible. He dated a teenager when he was 38, which is pretty bizarre, but they dated for four years, so...I don't know. It's weird, but you don't hear stories of Seinfeld being cruel or sexually assaulting people, etc. None of the stuff that worst famous people do.
the way we've been conditioned by sitcoms to laugh when there's a pause or when something is said that isn't deliberately a joke, but just sounds out of place in a normal dialogue is honestly fascinating especially because we literally only see this guy as Cosmo Kramer so people pretty much do not care
The whole thing is set up like a comedy bit with the whole "We have Michael Richards here via satellite" They'd do sketches that started that way all the time. so I don't blame the audience for not knowing what to expect. Also, Dave says he's hearing news of this "today" so it's likely so recent the audience hadn't even heard about the tirade anywhere else. They probably thought this was another awkward Kaufman-style stunt that the Letterman show was known for. The choice to apologize on that show in particular was a mistake.
@@pnopticI don't think it was the show so much as the timing. The use of the term "Afro-Americans" also didn't do him any favors, although he meant well by it.
@@ignatiusjackson235 If this was on Oprah or Sally I don't believe it would draw quite the same laughter. They'd set a more serious tone. Plus Letterman was "live" and he clearly didn't rehearse the apology beyond the bullet points.
It’s about as good of an apology as I expected from him, but when he mentioned that “perhaps this isn’t the right venue”, that nailed it. The crowd expected humor and it’s like someone snickering at a funeral.
Yeah, it was the wrong venue, cuz late night shows are so scripted that everyone expects a clip moment to be comedic especially with a comedic host and guest. Larry King Live or Oprah show would've been the right place for a public apology. Also this was before smart phones existed and the majority of the country was not watching online videos everyday, the incident happened only a couple days before. In fact it was one of the 1st famous "viral" cell phone videos of someone on stage, I bet 90% of people didn't even know about it yet.
It's nothing like that at all LOL. A guy from a comedy show did something dumb, and then something else dumb (this stupid apology). Also, the words he was saying were fucking funny. Afro Americans? Trash Talk? it's funny.
This was fucking awkward in every conceivable way, the laughter, the subject matter, Jerry telling people not to laugh, Michael being via satellite and just talking and talking into oblivion, and the awkward silences in between. It's almost beautiful.
@@michaelball4595 Lmao the folksy way Letterman described the incident had me weak. These days we'd be pretty explicit and say "X actor went on a racist rampage and said the N word" but back then it was just "So what's this he goes crazy in this club or something?"
to be fair, the laughter was only in the beginning, maybe those few weren't informed about the situation. it's not something that you can control just like that and therefore you can't really blame Michael for it. and it doesn't make the said words less valuable. I thought it was an honest apology and a plausible explanation of what happened. He did the right thing that had to be done in my opinion.
@@hyfr5053 ... Unfortunately for Michael, no amount of apology will give you full 100% redemption & forgiveness, especially with the subject matter of angry racist ranting. He retired soon thereafter. And The Michael Richards Show he tried to do, post-Seinfeld, years before this incident did not help either, as that show bombed.
I think the event literally happened that day and a lot of people may not have even heard what happened. If I was in the audience with no prior knowledge and I saw 2 comedians I would have thought it was a bit. So I can understand people laughing
Stern would have been interested and engaged. Letterman kinda just let Richards flail around quite a bit, not fun to watch and certainly not anything approaching proper comedy, either, except the absurdity of making such a deep apology on a show like Letterman's, which is about as irreverent as late night shows come.
We all make mistakes. He was definitely on a rage rant. It may never recover his career but at the end of the day we're still human. Still, it was wrong. However, we say things we don't mean when angry.
@@RustySh4ckleford overly dramatic much? Black comics do worse every day about white people and other groups. It is easily forgivable, and unlike the black comics, at least he has the humility to apologize.
What a crazy sad situation, but it's amazing to see the way that Jerry attempted to give a friend the opportunity to take accountability and make amends. A genuine friend.
He was shattered over it because he knows he destroyed his career in one night. I'm a black man and honestly I have nothing against him, I forgive him. Sometimes when I get angry, feel disrespected, things come out of my mouth that I don't mean and I instantly regret, nothing racial but it was still awful. I hope he got the help he desperately needed.
I don't think he needs "help," he just needs to work on controlling his anger. I get super angry too and I'm made some extremely offensive comments, but I usually do it under my breath or in a way that people can't hear me. often times, I'll make a rude comment on youtube then come back later to erase it. too bad Kramer couldn't do the same. also, I've experienced racism myself and it sucks, but it's not the end of the world.
Nah, "fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a fork in your ass!" Simply being mad doesn't account for his choosing to describe how he'd lynch a black man like they used to. Fuck your forgiveness.
I'm awful? How am I awful? Look at what happened because of what you said, what it lead to. 3 black men had their feelings hurt and you're laughing, you're laughing about it.
For those that don’t remember, the actual reason this Incredibly awkward interview occurred was because the Seinfeld Complete Series DVD box set was being released about the same time, so the studio sent them on a damage-control tour to try to salvage sales.
DING DING DING!!! Yeah, Jerry Seinfeld was definitely humiliating himself for Michael Richards, and it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't tied to the absolute highest high of his career. It's been said out loud more and more recently... Jerry Seinfeld is a mediocre comedian who happened to be good friends with a comedy genius named Larry David. Without Seinfeld, Jerry Seinfeld's career would have been Letterman and Leno appearances, at best.
@@heavydfunkJerry always struck me as a great observer who looks at the idiosyncrasies of everyday people, in a similar vein to George Carlin. But he doesn't quite have the warmth or verbal wit of George, so a lot of his stuff just leaves me cold.
That whole thing was so surreal. He's a comedian. You're supposed to laugh at him. I don't blame the audience for not picking up on the fact that they were being serious. The whole thing was just totally bizarre.
Right?? I remember when this happened, it was a HUGE deal. Imagine these days? These f'n SJW's would have his head on a stake!! Honestly, his tirade was NOTHING compared to anything we have seen since. It's a good example of how the world has changed. Racism is worse now than it was back then...yet they have all these "SJW" kiddos out there making it seem like it's MUCH worse than it is. The act like we're in the 1960's and still had segregation. My beef with the SJW's is that they don't know how to be subtle at all, nor can they take a joke. I hate how there is this belief that "everyone needs to be represented (to make up for the past) and we have to have "x amount of 'this race" to make sure they feel included! To hell with realism or historical accuracy in movies...as long as nobody feels left out!
I think the awkward aire to everything could have been what compelled the audience to laugh. And honestly his delivery doesn’t help 😂 I get that it’s probably hard to come out on national television and from the looks of it just ramble on about being sorry for something you did.
Everybody talks about how Jerry is such a good friend, and that's true, but let's give Dave some credit here, too. Not every talk show host would be willing to give this guy a platform to genuinely apologize, especially in the thick of it.
Yes and no. For Letterman, you are certainly correct that it was a gamble. Lesser-known hosts would gobble up the chance to bring this kind of controversy and buzz to their show.
@@robertbouley7697 Yeah, but they would have made a spectacle of it. Dave showed a somewhat profound amount of restraint here (by theoretical comparison).
@@dt8787 What's childish? A famous man flipping out on stage, calling people the n word? That will never not be funny. Know what else will never not be funny? Thinking Letterman is a good place to apologise. Know what ELSE is funny? Actually, I'll see where you go with the first two first.
I mean why make up this dirty lie. It’s actually something you can easily prove with just a simple google search! This is the classic case of some guy off camera trying to seem interesting by perpetuating a bullshit factoid. That Michael Richard’s train wreck was interesting enough without making shit up.
The problem with Jerry Seinfeld is that he's a real person and a character on a sitcom played by the real person. It's very hard for people to separate the two. When Jerry talks, we subconsciously think it's the guy who lives in a New York apartment and has these wacky people around him that he observes. Especially considering the Jerry from the sitcom was a comedian too and went on talk shows himself. Then you throw in someone else from the show in the mix and you feel like you're watching a Seinfeld episode.
@@FredGSanford. well I know _you’re_ not a real person from your use of the term “Hollyweird”. Go back to Cybertron-7, you NPC robot. You -> 🐑 _”Baaaaa”_
This was Jerrys idea and you can tell he was trying to help his friend. As for the audience laughing im pretty sure most people didnt know what was going on an thought it was an act
Well, this was a big story at the time, and I would assume everyone in the audience was aware of what happened. Therefore, they should have known this wasn’t being played for comedy. It was obvious because it only happened a couple days prior to this episode
@@assmane999 the news broke the day they were filming. the people in the audience didnt know what had happened yet. jerry just happened to be scheduled for letterman when it came out.
People weren't laughing because it was funny. They were laughing because it was uncomfortable... This was not the place to do this and I can't imagine anyone who paid to see Letterman live wanted go be there for this.
He's condescending because everyone is laughing when someone is trying to apologize over racial slurs that he made during an act. Michael basically said that back then he could have hung them from a tree and pitched them with a fork, having people laugh while you apologize is ignorant , insensitive, and appalling. Jerry as a Jewish man can see what's wrong with the picture of someone apologizing over racial comments against certain people and the torture they had to go through, and idiots not paying attention to the actual fact that there was hate in what he said and that those things that happened are no laughing matter. THAT is where Jerry's attitude is coming from.
+Michael Collins I literally cannot finish watching this, I've tried over the years but never been able to lol so much cringe. The show did that on purpose with the long pauses and Dave's condescending delivery.
This so completely backfired. Not the right venue, not the right platform, just a big bowlful of wrong. It's embarrassing to even watch. RIP Michael Richards' career.
I don't think so at all. The audience just needed a while to understand how serious Richards was and he was able to get his genuine emotions of remorse across.
That this dude didn’t kill himself within the first few days-months after this happened is astounding. I know this says more about me than him, but I am blown away by his decision to be the guy who did this to his career and reputation and those around him and then continue on with life. That’s a resilience I don’t have. But I never will be in such a situation so idk.
Did what? Did he murder someone? Distribute under-age porn? He said WORDS in a comedy show. Stop being a sycophant. Would Kevin Hart have to go through this? Of COURSE NOT. So it isn't the words, it is WHO says them. The RACE of who says them. Dummy.
Why would you assume he would kill himself? Plenty of celebrities have done awful things and been able to comeback from it. You must still be waiting for Mel Gibson to kill himself too right?
This was seriously one of the most awkward, illconceived moments in tv history. Letterman was probably the WORST possible place for them to do this apology. The audience was totally correct in laughing because THEY'RE AT A COMEDY SHOW. Any reasonable person would've assumed they were doing a bit of some kind. Other than 911, when has Letterman ever had an "in all seriousness" moment? Leno would've been a way better choice. And I understand the fact that Jerry was already scheduled on Letterman that night but then just mention it, and have Richards on Leno instead.
No other talk show host had balls the size of Letterman. You think Leno would've run this on his show? No chance. Also, people at NBC are known to distance themselves from controversial things such as this.
Dumbest comment i've ever seen... Letterman's whole schtick often involved "in all seriousness" moments: often spending large amounts of time on desk pieces commentating on death, morality, infidelity, etc. Leno on the other hand is an absolute hack.
A talk show - even one hosted by a 'comedic' type - isnt always comedic, or trying to be. Consider how often they have politicians, authors and other people in fields outside of comedy as guests.
He did have a kind of serious moment....ish? When he admitted to having sexual relationships with his female staff, however I'm not even sure if that could be considered serious considering he made jokes throughout it.
Bizarre, offbeat but hilarious tenth-season opener. Pretty daring strong stuff, even for Larry David. Definitely set the tone for what would be the series most unexpected and atypical, to say the least, season. Dark, twisted, brilliantly conceived companion piece to the previous season's "The Merv Griffin Show" (Episode 6).
Exactly. Haven't heard an apology yet from Joy Reid and the countless other MSMers who constantly spew anti-white crap every single day all over the airwaves and internet.
This is by far the funniest video I’ve ever seen. I’m literally in tears at work. I have to stop watching, I’ll save it for when I get home. Funny when it happened, even funnier now.
Jerry Seinfeld is a loyal friend. Not only did he share air time with a man half the country hated at that moment but he also made it clear they are still friends and stood up for Michael's character as a person. Even told the crowd to stop laughing it's not funny while Michael was trying to explain and apologize.
Well Jerry also had a 17 year old girlfriend when he was going on 40. Would pick her up from high school and everything. It seems like birds of an immoral feather flock together
@@katie-gf5wq TIL- Jerry was friends with a 17 y.o. female and started openly dating shortly after she turned 18. According to both her and Jerry, no sexual encounters happened until after she turned 18. Gotta admit that is kind of weird from my point of view.
Please. Jerry was just protecting an investment because Seinfeld wasn't out on DVD yet. psh. He was smoothing over his future money. You think Seinfeld fucks w this guy today?
@@WaldoBagelTopper People still watched reruns of Seinfeld on TV during this time. People would still buy the DVDs. The show is funny. Just because one actor on it turned out to be an asshole doesn't mean people will just tune it out completely. Fuck that kind of thinking.
@@WaldoBagelTopper He did his show years later and they talked about it, Michael thanks him for never turning his back on him over the years since the incident.
I watched this when it originally aired. This is probably the most genuine apology from a celebrity I've ever heard. Not only did he apologize, he quit the business to work on himself.
Yes. I was browsing thru his new autobiography at our local Barnes & Noble recently & he seems to have been trying very hard since then to find the origins of his anger & inner rage.
I felt his sincerity, as a Black American but I can’t speak for the actual people he was ranting to, and how they may feel. It’s just terrible how a funny individual such as himself ruined his career over anger.
In order to let out the bad air, Michael Richards should get a Comedy Central Roast. It should be full of lots of different comics of a range of diversity. This would address the elephant in the room, show that he can be insulted without resulting in racial slurs, and show that he's moved on from it.
You actually have a good ass idea. I can't believe no one liked or commented. As a black/spanish woman with a german partner. I fucking love this idea to ease tension.
liquidsolidsnake01 Although I like the idea, I don't know that he's the kind of person for that. Have you ever seen Seinfeld bloopers? He's a super serious actor, and I assume, person and people like that don't respond well to public ball-busting etc. I wonder what that would be like though!
Just because you're at a talk show, you think you have to laugh like a brain dead idiot? Most people laugh because something is funny not just because they're at a "funny location" @@t-rozbenouameur5304
@@t-rozbenouameur5304He was probably trying to give Michael the biggest platform possible so that this apology could have the largest reach. And people are not stupid, once they saw they were not joking they stopped laughing.
That's big of him, there's people in Hollywood that's done worse things and still didn't have to apologize and was still loved by everyone. And Jerry is a good friend.
Jerry was covering his own ass and I can’t think of a single person in Hollywood who is “loved by everyone”. Every single celebrity I can think of has a legion of haters
@@FJness gervais definitely has people who dislike him. Keanu is the only other name famous enough for me toto recognize. But I’m 100% sure he has people who are seething with jealousy at him
@@feny8 - well the crowd is dumb. I’m a millennial, and even I know the term… ever heard the term “Afro-Cuban” or “Afro-Brazilian”? maybe “Afro-American” was a little out-of-style at the time, but so what?
Hasn't everyone been up on a stage in front of a black audience shouting that kind of stuff into a microphone at least once in their lifetime? It's so normal and common that I'm surprised anyone commented on his behaviour.
At one point he even tried to say like "this feels like the wrong place to be apologizing for this stuff" but then no one responds and he just keeps talking and talking into a hole
@@daithiocinnsealach1982 Because they thought it was a funny skit! And they didn't take him seriously. Seems like Jerry and Kramer were the ones crying about people laughing. Maybe you can drive a little tears out, young lady.
I remember when this aired I had no idea what richards had said. Totally thought it was gonna be a comedy bit, then i was just confused. Really this is one of the most awkward things that I've ever seen, especially live.
Exactly. The date of the filming and when the general public knew caused the audience to be completely bewildered by it. Not to mention that news traveled fast, but not twitter fast for the average person.
Crazy how different things were back then and it's only just barely 20 years ago. "Afro-Americans" and the climate in that studio, people barely able to contain their laughter. If this happened just 10 years after that, no show would have even allowed him on to try and apologize, for fear of being cancelled.
I was 8 when this happened, and I remember being so confused because my parents wouldn’t tell me what he said, and I remember watching this exact interview with my Dad and even more confused why people were laughing
@@capoislamort100 now I'm imagining what it would be like if it cut to him and he had 4 adopted African kids with him. "You see how sorry I am?! See I can't be racist. Come on"
@@chrismac4441 come to think of it, that’d probably be a bad idea. he might start calling them the N word when they make him angry. Then after, say that a “freight train went through me….” Or some stupid shit! He strikes me as someone who is totally unaware of himself.
@@capoislamort100 When he did the first joke, I thought he was just trying to be edgy and it backfired. Like that sort of "oh shit, can he say that?" kind of comedy. Then he just kept going and shouting the N word all over the place. Daaaaamn Kramer. That's....that is fucked man.
