Michael Richards, who played Kramer in the TV show Seinfeld, has publicly commented on his 2006 racist outburst. Richards had been capturing his stand-up show with his own camera phone, although this episode was filmed by an audience member. Among a litany of N-words, Richards talked about lynching and Jim Crow laws during his racist rant against a group of Black and Hispanic audience members that were heckling him. This video spread rapidly on the internet and resulted in a media storm.
Richards, who has rarely spoken publicly about the incident, finally told People, “I’m not racist,” and added, “I have nothing against Black people.” He said he was insulted by a heckler who told him he wasn’t funny and “I felt put down. I wanted to put him down.” Richards recalled feeling immediately sorry and did not seek forgiveness for the incident as he is not interested in making a comeback.
The comic and actor stated that his anger at the situation overwhelmed him, that he was “instantly sorry,” and that he has learned from the experience. Richards further said that he did not want crisis management because the real damage was inside him. Something was wrong with the way he thought and spoke, but he didn’t know what until the incident happened. Richards wanted to face it rather than sweeping it away.
There has been recent talk about Seinfeld starting again, and this makes for awkward conversation as it took some of its fame from Richards’ character. Writers of the show have talked about how Kramer would react in today’s QAnon world. Jerry Seinfeld also hinted at a return for the ’90s era sitcom with a reworked version of the finale. However, both Jason Alexander and Julia Louis-Dreyfus have denied having any knowledge of reunion plans
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