Does anyone know what the hecklers were saying that caused Michael Richards (Kramer) to flip out?

Question

PLEASE don't get me wrong. What Richards said was reprehensible and just plain stupid. But I am curious as to what the hecklers were saying that set him off. Does anyone know?

Forgive me for saying hecklers, perhaps there was just one.

Answer 1

Not sure, the videos on YouTube only show his reaction but not what set him off. It must have been nasty, though, he's not known for ranting like that. And why heckle the headliner anyway? It's not like they didn't know he would be performing that night, with his name being on the marquee and all. I think they just wanted to be big shots in front of their dates by starting some sh*t and they didn't know when to quit. Kinda difficult to do a stand-up gig when someone is heckling you non-stop and ruining the show for everyone else, and it's easy to blow up when someone won't shut up and let you do the job you're being paid to do.

Answer 2

Asker: He was told that his jokes weren't funny. Also, when one of the men stated, "that was uncalled for" Richards stated, "That's what happens when you interrupt the white man." Also, on Letterman "Kramer" admitted that they were just heckling him about his routine and he went into "a rage."

Mr. CURIOUS:

Did you even bother to watch the tape? Moreover, since when do hip hop artists speak for ALL black people? I love how all the racists are focusing only on the n-WORD usage which is the least of Richards offense and NOT his LYNCHING comment. Hmmm.


Had this been a Jewish Audience and an entertainer said, "Shut up! Had this been the 1940's your a-s would be baking in a gas oven somewhere" there would be no question whether it was racist or not.

Furthermore, all comedians expect hecklers and they are taught to either insult their clothing, shoes, hair. Yet to bring in a historically painful part of American History that affects us all is wrong.

There are people who are STILL alive that remember finding their family members body parts in TREES. People who still remember the stench of a dead body hanging in the air as they went about their everyday business.

His REFERENCE WAS WRONG.



Do you think that 50 cent can greet Denzel or Oprah with the N-word? Are you that dense that you believe ALL black people embrace that word?

Either some of you peole are the BIGGEST LIARS I've ever come across in my life or just dumb.

First, I am black...NO ONE and I repeat NO one in my circle uses that word. EVER. That is the grossest generalization I have ever heard. Not my friends, not my colleagues, not my family members.

To assume some of the most uneducated rappers use it and because they are black it's okay for all black people to use it is wrong.

I love how this situation although it is on tape is purposely being taken out of context for racist to justify their beliefs.

He was not called a Cracker first! Richards made light of a horrendous MURDEROUS period against black people when he INITIATED the racist comment by saying, "Shut up! Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a f------ fork up your a--." while saying the N-WORD nearly 15 times.

He said all of this, THEN was told that was 'UNCALLED FOR...UNCALLED FOR" then he was called a reject that had no shows and Richards repeated the word N-gga and was THEN called a Cracker.

So if anyone is to take what's dished out it should be Richards. News outlets admitted that the word cracker has never had the history that the n-word has.


The N-Word was the LEAST, THE LEAST, THE LEAST of his insult.

If you people want to be racist and defend the N-word although YOU KNOW all black people don't use it....don't use the behavior of some as an excuse

Answer 3

I'm pretty sure they were out of line to say what they did, but Richard's was completely wrong. Not only did he mention hanging them, but he called them the N-word. Even if they had called him a cracker, he should have just had them removed. He's a celebrity and he has a expectation to act a certian way. Now the whole world will see him as a racist.But his behavior shows how he really feels about blacks. There's no way you make such strong comment if you were just venting. And to make matters worse, he was supposed to come back and apologize to some of those same people, and he didn't show.

Answer 4

What this situation is REALLY about most people are missing. It is not about Michael Richard's racism -- is about the double standard that blacks expect in America. If a black comedian uses the word "honky" or "cracker" nobody bats an eye because whites choose to not be offended by those terms. I could not care less if some black comic calls a white person a cracker or a honky. But blacks have chosen to create this taboo aura around the use of the word n i gg e r so that no one EXCEPT BLACKS CAN USE IT. Blacks call one another n i gg e r all day every day and no one is supposed to bat an eye. It is all right if blacks use it. But whites can't. Mexicans can't. Asians can't. Only blacks get to use that word. What if we as whites suddenly said that only WE can use words like, "graduate", "not guilty", "educated" and we said that blacks cannot use those words--only WE can. Blacks would be screaming within five minutes that we were racist. Yet when blacks choose to only get to use the word n i gg e r it is the EXACT same thing. That proves that blacks don't really mean it when they claim they want to be treated equally--they don't. They want SPECIAL treatment. In effect, they are saying, "WE can use this term but no one else can." Translated that means, "We want to have special privileges that others don't enjoy." Therefore in an ironic twist that only O.Henry would truly appreciate, it is the BLACK community that really demonstrates the most racism over this whole Michael Richards episode much more than Michael Richards does. Ironic huh?

Answer 5

There were two hecklers. Both happened to be black. They basically began yelling at Richards on stage that he wasn't funny and his stuff was crap. They kept it up and he lost it.

Answer 6

No seems to know for sure. The media and the libs in this country only want to report one side of the story.

Answer 7

A segment I saw on tv about it said that they were saying he wasnt funny.

Answer 8

one African American told "Kramer" that his African American friend didn't think his material was funny. Which in turn set of dear Kramer into his tirade of racial slurs

Answer 9

yes mr. ross and friend were wrong in heckling , some were about how his career sucks after seinfield.

Answer 10

I seen someone post about this yesterday I didnt see or hear of it myself. That post said they called him whitey or cracker .. But I can not say for certain.