How ‘Seinfeld’ Star Michael Richards Destroyed His Career in 3 Minutes
Actor Michael Richards’ career will always be defined by his role as Kramer on the sitcom Seinfeld. However, while other castmates went on to have successful careers post-Seinfeld, Richards made a terrible mistake and his career never recovered.
It only took three minutes for the comedian and actor to completely destroy the fame he’d built up while working on Seinfeld.
A racist tirade effectively ended Michael Richards’ career
Michael Richards’ career slowed down when Seinfeld ended in 1998. He eventually went back to performing stand-up comedy, but that new career venture didn’t last long.
A video surfaced of Richards berating a Black audience member during a show on Nov. 17, 2006. Richards used several racial slurs in the three-minute video, essentially ending his career and credibility.
Fans found Kramer and the actor who played him to be silly, goofy, and fun before 2006. But the public perception was ruined after seeing the Seinfeld alum at his absolute worst. Richards’ career was never the same again.
Michael Richards’ career never recovered to ‘Seinfeld’ status
It didn’t take long for the actor to apologize for using the worst racial slurs and for overreacting in anger to an audience member. Michael Richards embarked on a mission to apologize, including appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman. Richards also made personal apologies to Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. But the damage was already done.
Since then, Richards has had several TV appearances and cameos. Still his career never fully recovered. The actor went on his former coworker Jerry Seinfeld’s series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, and said that the incident still “haunted him” even decades later.
Other shows have since parodied the racist outburst. Richards even appeared on Larry David’s show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, to make fun of himself about it.
To this day, Richards insists he is not a racist and that the incident got out of hand. But the damage to his image proves that not everyone believes his apology.
What does Michael Richards do now?
Thanks in large part to his role on Seinfeld, Michael Richards’ career gave him a net worth estimated to be $30 million. That kind of wealth makes it easier to survive a career that has significantly dropped from its peak.
However, the Kramer actor is ready to return to the spotlight once again. His memoir Entrances and Exits will hit shelves in 2024. In the book, Richards reflects on his childhood, the height of his fame on Seinfeld, and the tirade that brought his career to a screeching halt.
