Kramer comic stuns with race tirade

The actor who played Kramer in the hit TV series Seinfeld stunned a comedy club audience when he allegedly launched a tirade of racial slurs at hecklers during a stand-up routine.

Michael Richards’ outburst at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood reportedly began after two black audience members shouted that he was not funny.

A video of the Friday night incident posted on entertainment news website TMZ.com shows the 57-year-old comedian retorting: “Shut up! Fifty years ago we’d have you upside down with a f****** fork up your a**.”

Then, to the audible shock of the audience, the comedian, best known for playing Jerry Seinfeld’s eccentric neighbour, is shown pacing across the stage swearing and repeatedly uttering a racially offensive term.

“You can talk, you can talk, you’re brave now mother******,” Richards shouted.

“Throw his a** out. He’s a n*****!”

He then repeated the slur over and over.

Seinfeld issued a statement saying he was “sick” over the “extremely offensive” statements.

“I’m sure Michael is also sick over this horrible, horrible mistake,” he said.

“It is so extremely offensive. I feel terrible for all the people who have been hurt.”

Richards returned to the Laugh Factory the following night and performed without incident.

When located by CNN he refused to comment on-camera, but the network said that off-camera he said he felt sorry for what had happened and had made amends.

But audience member Darryl Pitts said that was not enough.

“He needs to make a public apology to everyone because he offended every African-American in this country with what he did,” he told CNN.

While some in the audience chuckled during the outburst, one patron gasped “Oh my God” and the sound of people saying “ooh” could be heard after Richards used the n-word.

Eventually someone said: “It’s not funny. That’s why you’re a reject, never had no shows, never had no movies. Seinfeld, that’s it.”

Mr Pitts told CNN: “It just got totally silent. It just took all of the air out of the room.

“He dropped the mic, and just walked off. There was never any I’m sorry for what you just saw.”