Andy Dick apologizes for using racial slur
Andy Dick
Times Staff Writer
9:22 PM PST, December 5, 2006
Two weeks after Michael Richards' racist tirade at the Laugh Factory, another white comic has been forced to apologize for using the same racial slur while cracking jokes at L.A.'s Improv comedy club.
Andy Dick, a stand-up comic and former co-star of the 1990s sitcom "NewsRadio," was outed by celebrity Web site TMZ.com on Tuesday for hopping onstage while comedian Ian Bagg was doing his routine Saturday and using the slur on clubgoers.
"Andy was heckling comedian Ian Bagg during his routine, when Dick allegedly got out of his seat, jumped onstage and began joking with Bagg," according to the Web site. "The subject of Michael Richards came up, but the two comics quickly moved past it. As Dick exited the stage, he suddenly grabbed the mic and shouted at the crowd, `You're all a bunch of ... ' " -- using the same racial slur that got Richards in trouble.
The stunned crowd gasped and stared at each other, TMZ reported.
An Improv manager declined to comment on the incident Tuesday except to confirm Dick's presence at the club that night. Dick issued an apology through his publicist Tuesday afternoon.
"I chose to make a joke about a subject that is not funny," the statement said. "In an attempt to make light of a serious subject, I have offended a lot of people, and I am sorry for my insensitivity. I wish to apologize to Ian, to the club and its patrons and to anyone who was hurt or offended by my remark."
Dick's representatives declined to comment on TMZ's account of the incident.
Richards, a former co-star on "Seinfeld," also has issued several public apologies and has agreed to meet next month with the four black men he targeted during his racial-epithet-filled outburst at the Laugh Factory on Nov. 17.
