30 most shocking late night scandals

26. Michael Richards attempts to apologize on Letterman’s show

It’s an unfortunate situation that we have with the comedian Michael Richards. Ever since appearing on the popular sitcom Seinfeld in the 1990s, we all grew to love Richards as the kooky Cosmo Kramer. For years he was a beloved actor, known for playing one of the funnier characters on television.

Things would change when a stand-up performance would go horribly awry. If you know Richards, then you know the story. While on the stage, Richards was bothered by African American hecklers in the audience. This sent him on a terrible tirade full of racist comments, with Richards saying some truly despicable things. Unfortunately for him, the rant was recorded on video and would go viral on the internet.

Soon after, Jerry Seinfeld would make a scheduled appearance on David Letterman’s show. To help his old buddy out, Seinfeld asked to have Richards appear via satellite to apologize. It was very uncomfortable at best, with nobody in the audience taking him seriously. Many people were in fact laughing at Richards attempt to explain himself, prompting Jerry to tell them not to laugh.

The video appearance did very little to improve the perception of Richards in the public eye, only making him look like a goof (on top of being a racist).