Call it the racial slur heard round the world. Everyone was shocked when former Seinfeld star Michael Richards unleashed a barrage of racially charged insults and "n-words" upon four African-American hecklers at Hollywood's Laugh Factory on Nov. 14. The incident, broadcast ad infinitum on the Internet, has since prompted lawsuits, angry op-eds, and statements from personalities as diverse as Sarah Silverman and the Rev. Jesse Jackson about comedy, race relations, and when—if ever—it's okay to use that particular word.
But the fracas hit performers where they live when venerable Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada announced during a Nov. 27 press conference that comics would no longer be allowed to use the word on his stage; those who do will be fined and, like Richards, banned from the club. Suddenly the national dialogue about one actor's onstage meltdown became a censorship showdown.
Masada said his controversial decision has been widely misinterpreted by the press. "[The Los Angeles Times] made it sound like a ban. It's not a ban, it's a boycott," he explained. "You never try to put a ban on a word. It's the First Amendment. You could ask comedians as a favor, 'Could we as a group get together and boycott something?' That's a different thing than to go ban something…. That's what we did."
The club owner said he has been under tremendous pressure from African-American groups to do something in reaction to Richards' outburst. Masada was particularly alarmed when a group said it planned to organize a march to the mid-Wilshire headquarters of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to demand Richards' membership be revoked. Masada declined to identify the group.
"I said, 'Why don't I ease everything by asking the comedians to boycott the word and try to get the pain away from it?' I tried to please them," said Masada, adding that he feared acts such as the group's proposed protest could lead to rioting in his club. A group of young people recently chanted the n-word and gave the Nazi salute outside the Laugh Factory in New York's Times Square.
Although Masada characterized his rule as a voluntary boycott of the n-word, uttering the epithet onstage will cost comics $20 a pop. He pointed out that many professional sports teams also fine players and staff members for offending audiences. For example, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and former New Orleans Saints coach Mike Ditka were fined $10,000 and $20,000, respectively, for making obscene gestures to fans on separate occasions.
Naturally some comics have been testing Masada's resolve, most notably Damon Wayans, who said the n-word about 15 times during his set Dec. 3 at Laugh Factory's weekly African-American comics showcase, "Chocolate Sundaes." Masada fined Wayans $320 and banished him from the club for three months. Wayans agreed to pay the fine as long as the money goes to charity.
According to Masada, the majority of Laugh Factory regulars support the new rule. "Ninety-nine percent of the comics are good. They know they have material without the n-word. They can make people laugh; they don't need the n-word. The 1 percent, they are not funny," he said.
Longtime Laugh Factory comic Jason Stuart supports Masada's right to legislate what comics can and cannot do on his stage. "I don't like the word," said Stuart. "If I hear the word in someone's work, most of the time I'll leave the room. I think what Jamie wanted to do was open up the discussion. I would think the only way it should be used would be in the context of repeating something that someone had said, to tell a story, or to make a point. I don't think it should be used as an adjective."
Five miles south of the Laugh Factory, another comedy club owner, Enss Mitchell of the Comedy Union, has been dealing with his own share of fallout over the Richards incident and Masada's subsequent decision. "You have no idea of the amount of calls I've been getting," Mitchell said, sighing. His club, which has a primarily black audience, was drawn into the spotlight when it was erroneously reported that the club encouraged comics to use the offending word as much as possible in retaliation.
"My show has never changed," he said. "This is the same show we've been doing for the last five years. The only difference is, now there's a spotlight on the n-word. I haven't done anything different, and I'm not planning to."
Mitchell, who previously managed the Laugh Factory's Chicago location for Masada, strongly disagrees with restricting comics from using certain words. "I believe in creative freedom," said Mitchell. "I believe that performers need to have the ability to go on stage without the threat of retribution and without the threat of being edited before they hit the stage. How can you be creative when you're being told, 'Don't say this, don't say that'?"
Comedian Rodney Perry, who hosts the Comedy Union's "Freedom of Speech Night," questioned the kind of precedent Masada's prohibition will set. "Where do you stop banning words? Today it's 'nigger,' tomorrow it's a Jewish derogatory term, the next day it's a Mexican derogatory term. At the end of the day, you have great artists that may never be heard, like Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor," Perry said. "It's admirable what [Masada] set out to accomplish, but I don't think he did it. The racial divide is still divided. It's the Grand Canyon of division. He was already late to react initially. He had to make a big move to accomplish something."
Comic and "Chocolate Sundaes" host Chris Spencer said he'll refrain from using the n-word at the Laugh Factory for now, but he considers the rule ridiculous. "It's stupid. He should ban the n-word from white people," Spencer said. "But he can't ban the word. If a white guy wants to use the word in context and not hurt anybody, then that's okay. That's why we chose this profession: to have freedom of speech." He has advised "Chocolate Sundaes" performers to act as though they are on television, which prohibits the n-word.
"What's messed up is, now it's all about the n-word. Nobody's even talking about Michael Richards anymore," Spencer added. "Let's talk about Michael Richards using the n-word and not us using the n-word. That's the problem."
But will other comics follow suit, especially those who can't afford to be fined or banned from a world-famous club? Comic Sexy Marlo, who uses the n-word in her routine, said she will edit herself while on the Laugh Factory's stage. "I'm going to perform there; I'm just not going to use the word," she said. "I'm going to try consciously not to use it. But I know me: I will use it at least five, six, or seven times."
Comedian Domonique Racquel, however, intends to avoid the club until Masada changes his policy. "We use it as an endearing word. We took what was once bad and turned it into a good thing," she pointed out. "I use the n-word; it's a habit. If I feel that certain words on your stage are going to cost me out of my pocket while I'm an aspiring artist, then I'm not going to perform there. I should be able to say what I want to say."