Michael Richards, best known for his performance as Cosmo Kramer on the hit NBC comedy series Seinfeld, has been making his press rounds the past couple of weeks in anticipation of his debut memoir, Entrances and Exits, coming out June 4th. Most notably, he made a surprising & unexpected appearance at the premiere for Jerry Seinfeld's new movie & directorial debut, Unfrosted.
The actor & stand-up comedian has maintained a noticeably low profile following is public stand-up rant in 2006 at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles. During this incident, Richards was caught on camera hurling racial slurs, including a profane use of the N-word to a group of hecklers during his stand-up set, and has since been banned from the famed comedy club. And now nearly 18 years later after the incident, the Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada is saying he would consider lifting his ban.
What they're saying about Michael Richards' Laugh Factory ban.
According to a quote given to TMZ, Masada said he "believes in second chances and doesn't want to hold a grudge, so Michael could make a return to the venue ... but, only if he's truly a reformed man." Masada also adds his memory from the night of this incident saying he was there "the night everything went down ... and the group wasn't actually heckling Richards, but simply talking during his set."
Richards writes about his full perspective from that upended night in detail and opens the door to "the evolution of the iconic character who brought the kavorka to Seinfeld" in his new memoir. When speaking to PEOPLE about the new book & reflecting on the 2006 incident, he says, "I was immediately sorry the moment I said it onstage. I'm not looking for a comeback."
He continues, "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." He adds, "Crisis managers wanted me to do damage control. But as far as I was concerned, the damage was inside of me."
The comedian appears to have learned from his mistakes and has taken significant steps toward his own personal recovery. Hopefully one day we can see Richards redeem himself via an upcoming set at the storied Laugh Factory comedy club.
Click right here to get the latest comedy news delivered to your inbox!
Follow 800 Pound Gorilla News on Instagram, Twitter, & Threads.
