'Furious' Jason Alexander Threatened to Quit 'Seinfeld' Over Lack of Screen Time, Claims Costar Michael Richards

Jason Alexander threatened to quit Seinfeld amidst concerns that his character, George Costanza, wasn't receiving enough screen time.

In his upcoming memoir, Entrances And Exits, Michael Richards revealed that Alexander was upset with the network and showrunners during the show's third season in 1991.

Richards told outlets that he accepted being sidelined from an episode with grace. However, Alexander was allegedly greatly displeased with the situation.

In his memoir, Richards wrote that Alexander was under the impression that he would be one of the show's main draws and thought his screentime would reflect that.

"Jason came onto the show with the most confidence of anyone," the former sitcom actor recalled. "He had won a Tony Award on the New York stage... and until the table read for 'The Pen', he has assumed that Seinfeld is a buddy show, starring him and Jerry [Seinfeld]."

Richards added, "This business breeds both massive egos and incredible insecurity, and this episode is one of those ego-jarring wakeup calls."

The Cosmo Kramer actor recalled Alexander threatening to "quit" after learning that he was also absent from the episode, claiming that his costar was "furious."

Larry David, the show's co-creator and head writer, alleged offered assurances to the sitcom actor that he would never face a similar situation again.

Despite the initial challenges, both Richards and Alexander continued their roles on the show, alongside Jerry and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, for its entire nine-season run, from 1989 to 1998.

Richards, who recently disclosed his battle with prostate cancer, not only reminisced about the past but also highlighted the subsequent success he achieved on Seinfeld.

The actor received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Cosmo Kramer, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series three times (1993, 1994 and 1997) and garnering nominations in 1995 and 1996.

Similarly, Alexander earned seven nominations for the same award for his role.

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As OK! previously reported, after going on a racist rant against a heckler at a comedy club, Richards stepped away from the spotlight and is "not looking for a comeback."

“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.”