When Seinfeld's Michael Richards took the stage at L.A.'s
Laugh Factory on Nov. 17, 2006, the audience was probably
hoping for Kramer-ish pratfalls and copious arm-flailing.
What they got instead was a racist diatribe directed at a
group of African-American hecklers. Thanks to a cell-phone
camera, the tirade immediately hit the Web, earning the
actor nationwide condemnation. Three days later, Richards
appeared via satellite on David Letterman's show,
apologizing and pledging to seek help.