Michael Richards Shares Personal Journey in New Memoir, Emphasizing His Humanity

Seinfeld Alum Michael Richards Opens Up in Rare TV Interview

Ryan Hartford/INSTARimages.com

Actor and comedian Michael Richards, best known for his role in Seinfeld, is making headlines again for his latest project - a memoir titled Entrances and Exits.

During a recent TV interview on the Today show on June 4th, the 74-year-old opened up about his new book. Speaking with host Hoda Kotb, Richards expressed his desire for readers to see him as a "human" after reading his memoir.

Richards explained that there is a mix of good, bad, and ugly in everyone, all striving to improve themselves. He mentioned the continuous cycle of entrances and exits in life, always evolving and discovering more about himself along the way.

In his book, Richards also talks about the regrettable incident where he made a racist outburst during a stand-up performance in 2006 at Hollywood's Laugh Factory. The footage of him using a derogatory term towards an audience member was leaked, leading him to withdraw from the public eye.

Richards, who apologized for his remarks on the Late Show With David Letterman, described the incident as a "reality check" in a 2015 interview with We.

In the interview, he explained that he had only been doing stand-up for about seven or eight months when the situation occurred. He mentioned that he lost his patience that night due to people heckling him and not allowing him to work on his material, causing him to lose his cool. However, Richards acknowledged that he has since moved on from the incident.

Richards shared with Kotb that he has been reflecting on himself more after the incident. He mentioned that anger had consumed him and he needed to step back from show business to understand why he behaved in such a hurtful manner that night.

Seinfeld Alum Michael Richards Opens Up in Rare TV Interview

Michael Richards, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jerry Seinfeld, and Jason Alexander are featured on the cover images.

Richards shares his experience of being diagnosed with stage 1 prostate cancer in 2018. He recently revealed this news publicly. He thought he might not make it, but after acting quickly, he was able to receive treatment for the cancer.

Richards credits a "great surgeon" for helping him beat cancer. This health scare prompted him to reevaluate his life, leading to the creation of his book.

Now, Richards is happily living life with his wife, Beth Skipp, and their son, Antonio. Recently, he watched Seinfeld in its entirety for the first time with his son. (Richards also has a daughter, Sophia, with his ex-wife, Cathleen Lyons.)

He shared with Kotb that when he was 9 years old, he watched the show Seinfeld from start to finish. He mentioned that he was very critical of himself while watching the episodes that originally aired from 1989 to 1998. When asked about his son's favorite character, Richards revealed that it was Newman, played by Wayne Knight.

After his nine-season stint as Kramer on Seinfeld, Richards went on to appear in various TV shows and movies including David Copperfield, The Michael Richards Show, Bee Movie, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Walk the Light, and Kirstie. His most recent role was playing Daddy Hogwood in the 2019 film Faith, Hope & Love, according to IMDb.

Editor's P/S:

Michael Richards'