Michael Richards Parodies Racial Rant: 'If Only There Were A Horrible Name That I Could Call You!'

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There were several brilliant moments in last night's episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, including the discovery that in the ten years since Seinfeld went off the air, George Costanza developed an iPhone application called iToilet that allows you to locate the nearest public bathroom. (Alas, he invested with, and later lost his fortune to, Bernie Madoff.) Another was a tongue-in-cheek parody of Michael Richard's racial slur-laced tirade at the Laugh Factory in 2006.

It was only three years ago when Richards came under fire for verbally assaulting a pair of African American hecklers during his stand-up act. The comedian apologized earnestly via satellite on the Late Show with David Letterman shortly afterward, but still, the actor's reputation remained smudged, even after he retired from stand-up to "heal spiritually." This summer at HBO's TCA event, Larry David alluded to the fact that Richards's "incident" might be addressed, but there was no confirmation before last night's episode.

In the show, entitled "The Table Read," Michael Richards grows concerned that he might have the Curb-invented Groats Disease -- so Larry convinces his African American friend Leon (J.B. Smoove) to pose as a Groats survivor to calm Richards's nerves. After getting over Richards's initial fear of meeting with Leon ("Oh my god. Look, I made a mistake. It's been three years. Don't hurt me, please!"), Richards discovers that Leon is not a Groats-survivor and confronts him angrily, being careful with his language: "If only there were a horrible name, that I could call you, that would make you as angry as I am!" as bystanders start filming him with their cellphones.

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