Richards' Rant -- Not The First Time

Did Michael Richards attack the Jews? Two Los Angeles residents have come forward and said that's exactly what happened last Spring at L.A. comedy club, The Improv.

Carol Oschin and J.P. Fillet say they were at The Improv on April 22 when Richards took the stage. They say that in the middle of Richards' skit, a man in the audience said something to the comedian, when Richards allegedly launched into an anti-Semitic rant. According to Oschin, Richards screamed at the audience member, "You f***ing Jew. You people are the cause of Jesus dying."

Oschin says the rant continued and Richards stormed off the stage. Oschin and Fillet say that, at first, they thought Richards' tirade was part of his act, but claim that it quickly became apparent it was not.

Richards' publicist, Howard Rubenstein, confirmed to TMZ that Richards did make derogatory comments about Jews, but says it was part of his act. Rubenstein says Richards told him, "I'm not anti-Semitic. I was playing a role and poking fun at the rednecks."

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'Kramer's' Racist Tirade Caught on Tape

WARNING: WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS PROFANE AND RACIAL

Michael Richards exploded in anger as he performed at a famous L.A. comedy club last Friday, hurling racial epithets that left the crowd gasping, and TMZ has obtained exclusive video of the ugly incident.

110723_michael_richards_2006_kal NOVEMBER 2006
THE RACIST RANT
TMZ.com

Richards, who played the wacky Cosmo Kramer on the hit TV show "Seinfeld," appeared onstage at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood. Kyle Doss, an African-American, told TMZ he and some friends were in the cheap seats and he was playfully heckling Richards when suddenly, the comedian lost it.

The camera started rolling just as Richards began his attack, screaming at one of the men, "Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a f***ing fork up your ass."

Richards continued, "You can talk, you can talk, you're brave now motherf**ker. Throw his ass out. He's a nigger! He's a nigger! He's a nigger! A nigger, look, there's a nigger!"

The crowd is visibly and audibly confused and upset. Richards responds by saying, "They're going to arrest me for calling a black man a nigger."

One of the men who was the object of Richard's tirade was outraged, shouting back "That's un-f***ing called for, ain't necessary."

After the three-minute tirade, it appears the majority of the audience members got up and left in disgust.

Attempts to reach Richards' reps were unsuccessful.

Richards Racial Rant -- Play Video

Five Secrets to Comedy

For every 'Seinfeld,' there are 100 like 'Emily's Reasons Why Not.' Why do most shows go so wrong, and a select few become iconic? TMZ has the secret to five great comedy TV shows, courtesy of two truly iconic funny people: 'Saturday Night Live' legend Cheri Oteri, and writer Alan Zweibel ('SNL,' 'The Garry Shandling Show,' 'Curb Your Enthusiasm').

Homer: The Committed Imbecile
When the animated series about a yellow family with funny hair premiered on FOX in 1989, no one expected it to live through the millennium. Seventeen seasons later, it's clear there's something quite genius about 'The Simpsons.'

The secret here is that the characters, although animated, are completely relatable. "It's fun to watch Homer speak directly from the empty place in his mind," Oteri says. "Everyone wants to say their stupid thoughts, but stops themselves." To Zweibel, the people of Springfield makes no apologies for the bigoted beings that they are, and because it's a cartoon, laughing at the screen doesn't seem so dirty.

Louis-Dreyfus Says There's No 'Seinfeld' Curse

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


"Seinfeld" curse? What "Seinfeld" curse?

"My short answer is I have no worries about that because I'm on a heavy dose of antibiotics right now," actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus said Wednesday.

With that, she deflected questions about the inability of former "Seinfeld" cast members to have much television success after that NBC hit ended its run. Louis-Dreyfus' own "Watching Ellie" is in the wastebasket of failed shows.

You just have to keep trying, said Louis-Dreyfus, who is portraying a divorced mom in "The New Adventures of Old Christine," which will premiere on CBS this spring.

Her goal isn't to find a different character from Elaine, just to find someone funny, the 45-year-old actress said.

"I think the difference with this character is that perhaps she's a little more grounded and perhaps she's a little bit more real in a way that Elaine wasn't," she said. "But I would say that she has a pathetic quality that is similar, frankly. So set your TiVos."

Her 8-year-old son found it a little odd to watch his mom onscreen kissing another 8-year-old boy, she said.

"He's subsequently gotten over it," she said. "He knows I love him."