EDDIE MURPHY - MURPHY BAFFLED BY RICHARDS BACKLASH

MURPHY BAFFLED BY RICHARDS BACKLASH

EDDIE MURPHY is puzzled by the backlash aimed at MICHAEL RICHARDS following his racist tirade during a stand-up routine in a Los Angeles club because what is said onstage should stay onstage. Murphy is refusing to join the African-Americans launching attacks on the SEINFELD star, who stunned an audience at a recent Laugh Factory show by calling two hecklers "n**gers" over and over again. Instead, the SHREK star says, "Back in the old days in comedy clubs, you could do anything on stage... I'm not saying what the guy said was cool, but in the old days you would've never saw that on the news."