Richards tells Jackson racial slurs stemmed from humiliation

Comedian Michael Richards, known best as Kramer on TV's Seinfeld, told Rev. Jesse Jackson's radio program that he recently yelled racial slurs at two black men out of anger, not prejudice.

Richards appeared on Jackson's nationally syndicated program, Keep Hope Alive, after the black leader invited him to appear.

The 57-year-old comic drew public fire after hehurled racial epithets at two hecklers who were ordering drinks during his acta week agoat a club in West Hollywood. His outburst was caught on a camera video and has since been posted on the internet.

"There's no justification for the things that I said. But I was in show mode, and it was heightened," Richards said on the radio show.

"I'm shattered by it.The way this came through me was like a freight train. After it was over, when I went to look for them, they had gone."

Two men have come forward and demanded a face-to-face apology from the comedian. Their attorney, Gloria Allred, said Frank McBride and Kyle Doss want Richards to do it in front of a retired judge, who will decide on monetary reparations.

Richards, who has since appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman to own up to his tirade, said he has been searching for the men he insulted.

Psychiatric counselling to start

The comic says he was trying to deal with hecklers at the time and was "in a place of humiliation" when he started using the racial epithets, which he claims he had never used before.

Richards' publicist Howard Rubenstein said the comedian would begin psychiatric counselling to learn how to deal with his anger and to comprehend how he ended up making those racist remarks.

"He pledges never to say anything like that again. He's quite remorseful," said Rubenstein.

Jackson said he invited Richards as a way of turning "this minus into a plus."

He has called Richards's rant "hate speech" as well as "sick" and "deep-seated."