‘I Went Into a Rage’: Seinfeld’s Kramer Confesses What Led to Hurling N-Word In Explosive Career-Ending Tirade 18 Years Ago
Actor Michael Richards, best known for his role as Cosmo Kramer on the nine-season sitcom “Seinfeld,” saw his career come crashing down after a racially charged outburst during a stand-up performance.
Nearly two decades later, Richards opens up about the incident, saying he was immediately sorry for hurling the N-word at guests in the audience.
(Photo: @seinfeldtv/Instagram)
He shares candidly what happened on that 2006 night at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood in an upcoming memoir about his life and career titled “Entrances and Exits” published by Simon & Schuster. During his set, he was heckled by audience members, who apparently were Black, which led to a highly offensive rambling.
Richards responded to the heckling by using the N-word multiple times, directing his anger and racial slurs at the audience. The incident was captured on video and widely circulated, causing immediate backlash and damaging his reputation.
During an interview promoting his book with People, he explains how he felt as soon as the words fell from his lips.
“I was immediately sorry the moment I said it onstage,” the 74-year-old said. “My anger was all over the place and it came through hard and fast. Anger is quite a force. But it happened. Rather than run from it, I dove into the deep end and tried to learn from it. It hasn’t been easy.”
It was also important that Richards share that this was not rooted in a hatred for Black people.
“I’m not racist. I have nothing against Black people,” he said, before stating, “The man who told me I wasn’t funny had just said what I’d been saying to myself for a while. I felt put down. I wanted to put him down.”
According to Richards, his crisis managers wanted him to do “damage control.”
“As far as I was concerned, the damage was inside of me,” he told People.
Richards has explained before that his tirade was a result of pent-up anger and frustration, and he tried to make amends by apologizing on various platforms, including an appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman” in 2006.
“I lost my temper on stage, I was at the comedy club trying to do my act and I got heckled and took it badly and went into a rage. Said some pretty nasty things to Afro-Americans, a lot of trash talk,” he explained. “I’m really busted up over this and I’m really sorry …”
The Kramer from Seinfeld apology is still uncomfortable.
The audience laughing is so strange. pic.twitter.com/wBpeHcQzCd
— R82TV (@R82FILMS) February 6, 2023
More recently, in an interview with co-star Jerry Seinfeld in 2021, he broached the subject and said in reflection, that he “should have been working more self-lessly.”
His former boss and friend asked him if he wanted to return to comedy and he said he did not.
“I busted up after event. It broke me down,” he said. Seinfeld was sympathetic and said, “I know.”
Richards continued, “It was a selfish response. I took it too personally and I should have just said, ‘You’re absolutely right, I’m not funny.’”
Despite his apologies, the incident left a lasting negative impact on his career and public image, ending a career that started back in the 1970s. “Entrances and Exits” hits the market on June 4.