Michael Richards deliberately “cancelled” himself with his infamous comedy club racist rant so he could escape showbusiness.
The ‘Seinfeld’ actor, 74, made a fortune and was skyrocketed to global fame playing Kramer on the hit comedy sitcom but was disgraced and blacklisted from the entertainment industry after he was filmed unleashing a tirade of racial slurs during a 2006 stand-up show at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles.
Michael has now told Hoda Kotb, 59, on ‘Today’ about how he thinks the incident was a case of self-sabotage: “Anger had a hold of me, and I cancelled myself out. Take an exodus. Get away from showbusiness and see what the heck was going on inside of me to be so despicable that night, losing my cool and hurting.”
He added about how he has to forgive himself for the incident: “I have to move on, be very true-blue about that.”
Michael has also told People about how the root of his rage that prompted his racist outburst was his discovery he was conceived as the result of a sexual assault, with his mother initially putting him up for adoption before changing her mind.
He said: “It is definitely something that I have had to look into over the years to discover how my anger arises out of a feeling of inferiority.
“I have a temper, and it stems from that unwantedness, not being acceptable, not being understood, not being good enough to be liked or even loved.”
Michael also admitted even when he was welcomed into the entertainment industry his insecurities led him to turn down major opportunities.
He added: “I said no to the offer of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I didn’t feel deserving.
“I said no to hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’ twice because I didn’t feel good enough.”
