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Michael Richards Reveals He Was ‘Swamped by Rage’ During Racist Outburst That Got Him Canceled
During the second season of Seinfeld, Michael Richards slid into Jerry’s apartment portraying wacky neighbor Cosmo Kramer and the studio audience burst into spontaneous applause for the very first time.
“That was the ultimate sign of approval,” Michael exclusively recalls to Closer. “Kramer was a breakout character. And it was a breakthrough for me, too.”
In his first memoir, Entrances and Exits (out now), Michael, 74, looks back on his rise from stand-up comedian to Emmy-winning sitcom actor.
“I wanted to explain how I created Kramer and all the work that went into that for nine seasons,” he says.
Michael also delves into darker times, including the on-stage rant that nearly destroyed his comedy career, and his recent battle with cancer.
A child of Los Angeles, Michael grew up sneaking onto studio back lots but never considered acting until he took a theater class in junior high school. By age 19, he was warming up the crowd at West Hollywood’s Troubadour nightclub before music acts like the Doors, the Byrds and Linda Ronstadt.
“We played a few times a week just going cuckoo onstage in between the bands setting up,” recalls Michael, who was paid $25 a night.
Seinfeld, which debuted in 1989, was Michael’s third TV show.
“The four of us were pros,” he says. “Julia [Louis-Dreyfus] was off Saturday Night Live, Jason [Alexander] was off Broadway and had won a Tony. Jerry [Seinfeld], of course, was already a very well-established stand-up comic.”
The “show about nothing” would run nine seasons and become a linchpin of NBC’s “Must See TV” lineup.
In 2006, Michael’s stand-up club appearance was heckled by some Black and Hispanic audience members. He reacted with a tirade that crossed the line into racism.
“I let anger get the best of me. I got swamped by rage,” he admits, adding that he deeply regrets his behavior. “We have to become sensitive toward the dark that’s in each and every one of us.”
Second-time fatherhood and a brush with illness have made Michael more introspective, too. He and his wife, Beth, are proud parents of Antonio, 12.
“The amount of time that my wife and I are devoted to raising this remarkable boy, that is just a blessing,” Michael gushes.
His diagnosis with stage 1 prostate cancer in 2018 also put things into a new perspective. The illness forced him “to relax,” says Michael, who is cancer-free today. “It assisted me in becoming more sensitive to my fellow man and to existence.”
Other comedians have complained that we’ve all become too sensitive, but Michael believes it’s a positive thing.
“I think these are good times. It’s good to be sensitive. It’s terrible to be insensitive,” he says. “I think that comedy can handle it.”
