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=== 2006–2012: Laugh Factory incident and aftermath=== === 2006–2012: Laugh Factory incident and aftermath===
During a performance on November 17, 2006, at the ] in Hollywood, California, Richards launched into a racist rant in response to repeated heckling and interruptions from a small group of Black and Hispanic audience members. Richards was recorded shouting "He's a ]!" several times and making references to ] and the ].<ref name="TMZ-2006"/><ref name="Vibe">{{cite web|url=http://www.vibe.com/news/news_headlines/2006/11/comedian_michael_kramer_richards_goes_into_racial_tirade/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231201005/http://www.vibe.com/news/news_headlines/2006/11/comedian_michael_kramer_richards_goes_into_racial_tirade/|archive-date=December 31, 2006|title=Comedian Michael "Kramer" Richards Goes into Racial Tirade, Banned From Laugh Factory|access-date=November 21, 2006|publisher=].com|year=2006|author=Mariel Concepción|work=News wire}}</ref><ref name="washingtonpost.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/21/AR2006112100242.html |title="Seinfeld" Comic Richards Apologizes for Racial Rant |work=] |date= November 21, 2006|access-date=October 12, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Canadian Broadcasting Corporation">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/richards-deeply-deeply-sorry-for-racial-slurs-1.618610|title=Richards 'deeply, deeply sorry' for racial slurs|access-date=November 20, 2006|publisher=]|work=CBC arts | date=November 20, 2006}}</ref><ref name="Reuters-2006">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-richards-idUSN2041340020061120|title="Seinfeld" Star Richards Under Fire For Racial Outburst|access-date=June 28, 2013|publisher=Reuters|work=News wire|date=November 20, 2006}}</ref> <!-- NOTE TO EDITORS: SEE REMARKS ABOVE THE PRECEDING PARAGRAPH ABOUT CONSENSUS ON THE LAUGH FACTORY INCIDENT, AS IN TALK ARCHIVE 2. CONSENSUS SECTION CONTINUES BELOW -->Kyle Doss, a member of the group that Richards addressed, said the group had arrived in the middle of the performance and were "being a little loud." According to Doss: url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231201005/http://www.vibe.com/news/news_headlines/2006/11/comedian_michael_kramer_richards_goes_into_racial_tirade/|archive-date=December 31, 2006|title=Comedian Michael "Kramer" Richards Goes into Racial Tirade, Banned From Laugh Factory|access-date=November 21, 2006|publisher=].com|year=2006|author=Mariel Concepción|work=News wire}}</ref><ref name="washingtonpost.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/21/AR2006112100242.html |title="Seinfeld" Comic Richards Apologizes for Racial Rant |work=] |date= November 21, 2006|access-date=October 12, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Canadian Broadcasting Corporation">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/richards-deeply-deeply-sorry-for-racial-slurs-1.618610|title=Richards 'deeply, deeply sorry' for racial slurs|access-date=November 20, 2006|publisher=]|work=CBC arts | date=November 20, 2006}}</ref><ref name="Reuters-2006">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-richards-idUSN2041340020061120|title="Seinfeld" Star Richards Under Fire For Racial Outburst|access-date=June 28, 2013|publisher=Reuters|work=News wire|date=November 20, 2006}}</ref> <!-- NOTE TO EDITORS: SEE REMARKS ABOVE THE PRECEDING PARAGRAPH ABOUT CONSENSUS ON THE LAUGH FACTORY INCIDENT, AS IN TALK ARCHIVE 2. CONSENSUS SECTION CONTINUES BELOW



{{Blockquote|text= said, "Look at the stupid Mexicans and blacks being loud up there." That's the first thing he said. And then he kept on with his bit. And, then, after a while, I told him, "My friend doesn't think you're funny." And then when I told him that, that's when he flipped me off and said, "F-you N-word." And that's how it all started.|sign=Kyle Doss|source=Interview on '']''<ref name="CNN-transcripts"/>|title=}}<!-- END OF CONSENSUS SECTION, WHICH COVERS THE LAUGH FACTORY INCIDENT. SEE TALK ARCHIVE 2. NEW DEVELOPMENTS SINCE FEBRUARY 2007 MAY BE ADDED AFTER HERE -->


The incident remained unknown to the larger public for three days until a ] video filmed by a member of the audience was obtained and released by ]. On November 20, after the video made rounds around the news, ] invited Richards via satellite during a broadcast of the '']'', where Richards was recorded saying: "I'm not doing too good. I lost my temper on stage; I was at a comedy club trying to do my act and I got heckled and I took it badly and went into a rage. And, uh, said some pretty, uh, nasty things to some Afro-Americans."<ref name="CNN-transcripts2">{{cite news|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0611/21/cnr.01.html|title=CNN Newsroom|access-date=February 16, 2007|publisher=].com|year=2006}}</ref> Many studio audience members laughed as Richards began his unscripted explanation and apology, thinking it was a ], leading Seinfeld to reprimand them, saying: "Stop laughing. It's not funny." Richards said he had been trying to defuse the heckling by being even more outrageous, but it had backfired. He later called civil rights leaders ] and ] to apologize.<ref name="CNN-transcripts">{{cite news|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0611/22/sitroom.03.html|title=''The Situation Room'' transcript|access-date=December 4, 2006|publisher=CNN|year=2006|work=]}}</ref><ref name="CNN-article">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/22/sharpton.richard/index.html|title= Sharpton: Comedian's apology not enough|access-date=April 22, 2007|work=] |date=November 23, 2006 }}</ref> He also appeared as a guest on Jackson's syndicated radio show.<ref name="CBS-2007">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jesse-jackson-talks-to-michael-richards/|title=Jesse Jackson Talks To Michael Richards: Jackson Says Apology For Actor's Racist Rant Is Only A Beginning Before Healing|access-date=April 23, 2007|publisher=CBS|work=News wire | date=November 25, 2006}}</ref> Doss stated that he did not accept Richards's apology, saying: "If he wanted to apologize, he could have contacted&nbsp;... one of us out of the group. But, he didn't. He apologized on-camera just because the tape got out."<ref name="CNN-article"/><ref> at YouTube</ref> The incident remained unknown to the larger public for three days until a ] video filmed by a member of the audience was obtained and released by ]. On November 20, after the video made rounds around the news, ] invited Richards via satellite during a broadcast of the '']'', where Richards was recorded saying: "I'm not doing too good. I lost my temper on stage; I was at a comedy club trying to do my act and I got heckled and I took it badly and went into a rage. And, uh, said some pretty, uh, nasty things to some Afro-Americans."<ref name="CNN-transcripts2">{{cite news|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0611/21/cnr.01.html|title=CNN Newsroom|access-date=February 16, 2007|publisher=].com|year=2006}}</ref> Many studio audience members laughed as Richards began his unscripted explanation and apology, thinking it was a ], leading Seinfeld to reprimand them, saying: "Stop laughing. It's not funny." Richards said he had been trying to defuse the heckling by being even more outrageous, but it had backfired. He later called civil rights leaders ] and ] to apologize.<ref name="CNN-transcripts">{{cite news|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0611/22/sitroom.03.html|title=''The Situation Room'' transcript|access-date=December 4, 2006|publisher=CNN|year=2006|work=]}}</ref><ref name="CNN-article">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/22/sharpton.richard/index.html|title= Sharpton: Comedian's apology not enough|access-date=April 22, 2007|work=] |date=November 23, 2006 }}</ref> He also appeared as a guest on Jackson's syndicated radio show.<ref name="CBS-2007">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jesse-jackson-talks-to-michael-richards/|title=Jesse Jackson Talks To Michael Richards: Jackson Says Apology For Actor's Racist Rant Is Only A Beginning Before Healing|access-date=April 23, 2007|publisher=CBS|work=News wire | date=November 25, 2006}}</ref> Doss stated that he did not accept Richards's apology, saying: "If he wanted to apologize, he could have contacted&nbsp;... one of us out of the group. But, he didn't. He apologized on-camera just because the tape got out."<ref name="CNN-article"/><ref> at YouTube</ref>

Revision as of 21:52, 3 December 2024

American actor and comedian (born 1949) For other people named Michael Richards, see Michael Richards (disambiguation).

Michael Richards
Richards at the 45th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 19, 1993
BornMichael Anthony Richards
(1949-07-24) July 24, 1949 (age 75)
Culver City, California, U.S.
Alma materLos Angeles Valley College
California Institute of the Arts
Evergreen State College (BA)
Occupation(s)Actor, comedian
Years active1979–2007 (Stand up)
1980–present (Acting)
Spouses
  • Cathleen Lyons ​ ​(m. 1974; div. 1993)​
  • Beth Skipp ​(m. 2010)​
Children2
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service / branch U.S. Army
Years of service1970–1972

Michael Anthony Richards (born July 24, 1949) is an American actor and former stand-up comedian. He achieved global recognition for starring as Cosmo Kramer on the NBC television sitcom Seinfeld from 1989 to 1998. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, first entering the national spotlight when he was featured on Billy Crystal's first cable TV special, and went on to become a series regular on ABC's Fridays.

From 1989 to 1998, he played Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld, three times receiving the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. During the run of Seinfeld, he made a guest appearance in Mad About You, reprising his role as Kramer. Richards also made numerous guest appearances on a variety of television shows, such as Cheers. His film credits include So I Married an Axe Murderer, Airheads, Young Doctors in Love, Problem Child, Coneheads, UHF, and Trial and Error, one of his few starring roles. In 2000, he starred in his own sitcom, The Michael Richards Show, which was canceled after only two months.

In 2006, Richards was filmed going on a racist tirade against hecklers while performing at the Laugh Factory in California. After the tape was obtained and released by TMZ, significant backlash and media coverage led to Richards retiring from stand-up in early 2007. In 2009, he appeared as himself in the seventh season of Curb Your Enthusiasm alongside his fellow Seinfeld cast members for the first time since the show’s finale. In 2013, he portrayed Frank in the sitcom Kirstie, which was canceled after one season. He most recently played Daddy Hogwood in the 2019 romantic comedy Faith, Hope & Love.

Early life

Richards as a senior at Thousand Oaks High School in Thousand Oaks, California (1967)

Richards was born in Culver City, California, to a Catholic family. He is the son of Phyllis (née Nardozzi), a medical records librarian. As a child, Richards was told his father was William Richards, an electrical engineer, who died in a car crash when Michael was two. He later learned his mother's pregnancy was the result of a sexual assault and that she considered abortion and adoption before deciding to raise him as a single mother. Richards was also raised by a grandmother who suffered from schizophrenia.

Richards graduated from Thousand Oaks High School. In 1968, he appeared as a contestant on The Dating Game but was not chosen for a date. He was drafted into the United States Army in 1970. He trained as a medic and was stationed in West Germany, where he was a member of a theatrical group called The Training Road Show. He became interested in performing after taking a theatrical class in seventh grade.

After being honorably discharged, Richards used the benefits of the G.I. Bill to enroll in the California Institute of the Arts and earned a Bachelor of Arts in drama from the Evergreen State College in 1975. He also had a short-lived improv act with Ed Begley Jr. During this period, he enrolled at Los Angeles Valley College and continued to appear in student productions.

Career

1979–1989: Early career

Richards in 1983

Richards got his big TV break in 1979, appearing in Billy Crystal's first cable TV special. In 1980, he began as one of the cast members on ABC's Fridays television show, where Larry David was a fellow cast member and writer. It included a famous instance in which Andy Kaufman refused to deliver his scripted lines, leading Richards to bring the cue cards on screen to Kaufman, who responded by throwing his drink into Richards' face, causing a small riot (Richards later claimed he was in on the joke). The film Man on the Moon featured a re-enactment of the Andy Kaufman incident where Richards was portrayed by actor Norm Macdonald.

In 1981, he appeared in the It's a Living episode "Desperate Hours". In 1986, Richards had a minor role in the cult satirical TV miniseries Fresno, playing one of a pair of inept criminal henchmen. That same year he auditioned to play Al Bundy in the TV series Married... with Children, but he was passed over for Ed O'Neill. In 1989, Richards had a supporting role in "Weird Al" Yankovic's comedy film UHF as janitor Stanley Spadowski. On television, he appeared in Miami Vice as an unscrupulous bookie; in St. Elsewhere as a television producer making a documentary about Dr. Mark Craig; in Cheers as a character trying to collect on an old bet with Sam Malone; and made several guest appearances with Jay Leno as an accident-prone fitness expert.

According to an interview with executive producer David Hoberman, ABC first conceived the series Monk as a procedural police comedy with an Inspector Clouseau-like character suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Hoberman said ABC wanted Richards to play Adrian Monk, but he turned it down.

1989–2005: Seinfeld and rise to prominence

Richards with Jerry Seinfeld at the 44th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1992

In 1989, Richards was cast as Cosmo Kramer in the NBC television series Seinfeld, created by fellow Fridays cast member Larry David and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Although it got off to a slow start, by the mid-1990s it had become one of the most popular sitcoms in television history. It ended its nine-year run in 1998 at No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings. In Seinfeld, Kramer is the neighbor across the hall of the show's eponymous character, and is usually referred to only by his last name. His first name, Cosmo, was revealed in the sixth-season episode "The Switch".

Richards won more Emmys than any other Seinfeld cast member, taking home the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1993, 1994, and 1997 for his role as Kramer. When referring to speculation that he would launch a spin-off to Seinfeld about Kramer, Richards said he was not interested in doing so. During the run of Seinfeld, Richards made cameo appearances in several TV shows; he played himself in Episode 2 of Season 1 "The Flirt Episode" (1992) of the HBO series The Larry Sanders Show. He also had a cameo role in the comedy thriller film So I Married an Axe Murderer, credited as "insensitive man". In 1996, Richards made a cameo in Epcot's Ellen's Energy Adventure, where he portrayed a caveman discovering fire. He played radio station employee Doug Beech in Airheads, and co-starred with Jeff Daniels as an actor pretending to be a lawyer in 1997's Trial and Error. He also made guest appearances on Miami Vice, Night Court and Cheers.

In 2000, two years after the end of Seinfeld, Richards began work on a new series for NBC, his first major project since Seinfeld's finale. The Michael Richards Show, for which Richards received co-writer and co-executive producer credits, was conceived as a comedy/mystery starring Richards as a bumbling private investigator. When the first pilot failed with test audiences, NBC ordered that the show be retooled into a more conventional, office-based sitcom before its premiere. After a few weeks of poor ratings and negative reviews, it was canceled. Critics said the show was too "Kramer-esque" and Richards invoked the so-called "Seinfeld curse" as to why the show failed.

Starting in 2004, he and his fellow Seinfeld cast members provided interviews and audio commentaries for the Seinfeld DVDs. Richards stepped down from providing audio commentary after Season 5, though he continued to provide interviews.

2006–2012: Laugh Factory incident and aftermath

url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231201005/http://www.vibe.com/news/news_headlines/2006/11/comedian_michael_kramer_richards_goes_into_racial_tirade/%7Carchive-date=December 31, 2006|title=Comedian Michael "Kramer" Richards Goes into Racial Tirade, Banned From Laugh Factory|access-date=November 21, 2006|publisher=VIBE.com|year=2006|author=Mariel Concepción|work=News wire}}</ref>

  1. McDermid, Charles (July 13, 2007). "Richards finds solace in Cambodia". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  2. ^ "Michael Richards Tv's Top Jive-talking Hipster-doofus Fell for His Audience, and Vice Versa. Farewell, Cosmo, and Giddyup!". People. May 14, 1998. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  3. Lipton, Michael A. (March 8, 1993). "Man Overboard!". People. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  4. Lacher, Irene (December 1, 2013). "Michael Richards goes for a drive". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  5. Falls, Michelle (December 6, 2013). "First Look at Michael Richards' Adorable Son Antonio—See the Precious Pics!". E!. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  6. TMZ Staff (2006). ""Kramer's" Racist Tirade – Caught on Tape". In The Zone. TMZ.com. Retrieved November 20, 2006.
  7. Goldberg, Lesely (February 15, 2013). "TV Land Orders Kirstie Alley-Michael Richards Comedy to Series". The Hollywood Reporter.
  8. "Michael Richards is not Jewish (Not that there's anything wrong with that)". HuffPost. November 23, 2006.
  9. "Michael Richards Biography (1949?-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  10. Hobbs, Jack (November 9, 2023). "Seinfeld's Michael Richards book to detail 2006 racist outburst". New York Post.
  11. Telling, Gillian (May 25, 2024). "Michael Richards Recalls Learning He Was the Result of a Sexual Assault: 'I Had to Come to Terms with My Conception'". People.
  12. Barbara DeMarco Barrett (June 1997). "The Spaz at Home". Orange Coat Magazine. p. 34.
  13. "Michael Richards Net Worth (Updated 2023), Height, Income Source And Biography - NetWorthDekho". September 28, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  14. "NewsLibrary.com – newspaper archive, clipping service – newspapers and other news sources". April 30, 1995.
  15. Michael Richards 'Speaking Freely' transcript via First Amendment Center, Recorded February 28, 2002, in Aspen, Colorado Archived March 31, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  16. Andy Kaufman on Fridays from FridaysFan. Funnyordie.com. February 11, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
  17. "Michael Richards – First Amendment Center – news, commentary, analysis on free speech, press, religion, assembly, petition". Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  18. "Desperate Hours". YouTube. April 20, 2023.
  19. "Michael Richards". TVGuide.com. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  20. from "Mr Monk and His Origins," a special feature packaged with the Season One DVDs.
  21. ^ Davis, Ivor (May 30, 1997). Fame is a 'Trial' for Michael Richards. Ventura County Star.
  22. ""Seinfeld" Comic Richards Apologizes for Racial Rant". The Washington Post. November 21, 2006. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  23. "Richards 'deeply, deeply sorry' for racial slurs". CBC arts. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. November 20, 2006. Retrieved November 20, 2006.
  24. ""Seinfeld" Star Richards Under Fire For Racial Outburst". News wire. Reuters. November 20, 2006. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
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