Seinfeld’s Michael Richards stages comeback on stage after infamous 2006 rant

Michael Richards resurfaced on stage for the first time in nearly two decades, launching a new stand-up tour titled Michael Richards: An Evening of Conversations, Questions and Answers. The 76-year-old comedian appeared Wednesday night to address the moment that derailed his career after a racist outburst in 2006, and to discuss why he stepped away from public life for 17 years.

During the show, Richards spoke candidly about the incident at the Laugh Factory, where a video captured him directing racial slurs at hecklers. He described it as a turning point and said he revisited his backstory in a way that was naughty and destructive to his life. He said that he was forced to revisit his backstory because 19 years earlier he was in a comedy club and he was a very naughty, naughty man. He added that on that night he really took it in the wrong way, and his attempt to turn the moment into comedy was misguided. He joked about his loose, improvised approach on stage, saying he does not really work with an act, he is very loose on stage, very loosey-goosey. That goosey got him into some trouble.

Richards acknowledged the fallout and said the incident led to a prolonged exile from Hollywood. He explained that he thought he would back off and step into himself apart from show business. He described years of self examination, saying he spent many years looking closely at mood, feeling and thought, dialoguing with mood, feeling and thought, and paying attention to his dreams.

He explained that after the rift, he received offers to return to acting, but he chose to stay away. He said he took lots of calls from people wanting him back, but he turned them down. He described the hiatus as a time spent in the Santa Monica mountains, where he found sun and order in nature that helped him rebuild his sense of self. He added that something else wanted him to stay alone, to be a reclusive, signaling a turn toward a more interior form of artistry.

Richards’ career took off in the late 1980s as Kramer on Seinfeld, a role that won him three Emmy Awards and made him a household name. The long-running show ran from 1989 to 1998. He later hosted The Michael Richards Show in 2000, but it lasted only two months. After stepping away from stand-up in 2007, Richards maintained ties with Seinfeld and, in a 2024 memoir, Entrances and Exits, wrote that he had taken himself out of the industry.

Dating back to his early career, Richards performed in clubs in the 1970s and 80s, catching the eye of Billy Crystal, who helped him land a spot on his first television special. The comeback story has drawn attention from fans and colleagues who have watched him navigate the long road back to a public stage.

During interviews ahead of the comeback, Richards has said he found faith along the way. In conversations with Fox News Digital, he described faith in creation and a merciful order of nature that allowed him to reflect on his wrongs and move forward toward personal growth.

The revival of Richards’ stage presence arrives amid renewed scrutiny of how celebrities confront past missteps and whether rehabilitation can occur on the public stage. His return, marked by a willingness to discuss the events frankly and to examine his own life, reflects broader conversations about accountability and redemption in Hollywood.