Everyone’s favorite quirky TV neighbor has resurfaced after nearly two years away from the spotlight.
Seinfeld alum Michael Richards, the 76-year-old sitcom star known for his role as the offbeat Cosmo Kramer, was spotted out and about while running errands in West Hollywood on Sunday, May 10.
Richards hit up Melrose Place while clad in a dark navy utility-style jacket layered over a white T-shirt, paired with matching pants and thick-soled boots in photos obtained by E! Online and published on Monday, May 11. He completed his laid-back look with his signature slightly curly, tousled hair and a pair of clear-framed glasses while walking with one hand in his pocket.
The actor — whose famed character was loosely based on the comedian Kenny Kramer, show creator Larry David’s ex-neighbor across the hall — said in 2024 that he took time away from Hollywood after his 2006 racist tirade at the Laugh Factory comedy club.
“I canceled myself out,” he shared during an interview on Today, noting that he took an “exodus” to do some self-reflection. “[I needed to] get away from show business to see what the heck is going on inside me to have been so despicable that night, losing my cool and hurting people.”
Richards apologized at the time of the tirade, explaining, “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.”
His life took another turn in 2018, when he was diagnosed with stage I prostate cancer.
“I thought, ‘Well, this is my time. I’m ready to go,’” Richards elaborated in an interview with People after writing about the health scare in his 2024 memoir, Entrances and Exits.
“But then my son came to mind just a few seconds later and I heard myself saying, ‘I’ve got a 9-year-old and I’d like to be around for him,’” he added. “‘Is there any way I can get a little more life going?’”
Richards is a dad of two to daughter Sophia and son Antonio. His children are 38 years apart.
The star said the diagnosis not only gave him a new lease on life, but inspired him to write about his experiences over the years.
“I had over 40 journals I’d kept over the years and wanted to do a full review of my life,” he shared in 2014. “I’m turning 75, so maybe wanting to do that is something that comes with being my age.” Richards added, “I wanted to connect with feelings and memory.”
