'I'm Not Looking for a Comeback': 'Seinfeld' Star Michael Richards Doesn't Expect Forgiveness After He Went on Racist, Slur-Filled Rant at Hecklers

In Michael Richards' upcoming memoir, Entrances and Exits, the actor delves into the infamous racist tirade he unleashed on a comedy club audience in 2006.

Richards — best known for his role as Kramer in Seinfeld — shed some light on the turmoil he experienced during that time, explaining it was a heckler that caused him to explode.

The 74-year-old comedian recalled how the failure of his post-Seinfeld sitcom, The Michael Richards Show — which ended after only eight episodes in 2000 — weighed heavily on him.

Despite there being a six-year gap between the show's cancelation and the incident at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, Richards admitted that the pressure and disappointment lingered.

During his performance at the comedy club, Richards was heckled by the audience, leading him to lash out with a string of racial slurs. Reflecting on the night, he remembered the words that triggered his outburst: "You're not funny. We don't think you're very funny!"

The comedian confessed that the remark hit him hard.

“He went low and I went even lower,” he writes in his book. “We both ended up at the bottom of the barrel.”

The Emmy winner shared that after the shocking incident, the words “you’re not funny” kept running through his mind.

“He laid it out so clearly, so simply, my biggest fear — not being funny,” he says. “Later, I’ll come to realize that all of this, everything he said, is me. His voice is my voice. This is all ME going on. My inferiority sets in. My anger erupts.”

With the release of his book, the Seinfeld comedian told outlets, "I'm not looking for a comeback."

While Richards does not get into the specifics of his words in the book, he has previously expressed regret, wishing he had handled the situation differently.

Following the incident, Richards faced public scrutiny and backlash, prompting him to issue an apology on The Late Show With David Letterman.

Feeling embarrassed and concerned about the impact on his former Seinfeld costars, including Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jason Alexander, he chose to step back from the media limelight.

Actress Frances Fisher advised Richards to embark on an introspective journey, leading him to Mexico, Cambodia, India and Thailand.

The experience brought about reflection and soul-searching, something needed during this challenging period in his life.

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EW provided quotes and sources used in this article.