Comedian Richards Talks With Jackson
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Comedian Michael Richards said yesterday he did not consider himself a racist and said he was “shattered” by the comments that he made to two young black men during a tirade at a Los Angeles comedy club.
Mr. Richards appeared on the Reverend Jesse Jackson’s nationally syndicated radio program, “Keep Hope Alive,” as a part of a series of apologies for the incident. He said he knew his comments hurt the black community and that he hoped to meet with the two men.
He told Rev. Jackson that he had not used the language before.
Mr. Richards, who played Jerry Seinfeld’s wacky neighbor Kramer on the TV sitcom “Seinfeld,” was performing at West Hollywood’s Laugh Factory last week when he lashed out at hecklers with a string of racial obscenities and profane language. A cellphone videocamera captured the outburst, and the incident later appeared on TMZ.com.
