>>> WELCOME BACK. WHEN MICHAEL RICHARDS FIRST BURST THROUGH JERRY'S DOOR ON "SEINFELD" 30 YEARS AGO, AMERICA FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM. RICHARDS HAS BEEN OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHT UNTIL TODAY. THIS IS HIS FIRST LIVE TELEVISION INTERVIEW IN MANY, MANY YEARS. MICHAEL RICHARDS, GOOD MORNING. >> GOOD MORNING. >> I KNOW WE'RE FEELING A LITTLE NERVOUS THIS MORNING, AND THAT'S UNDERSTANDABLE. YOUR FIRST LIVE INTERVIEW. >> YES. >> WE HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN MANY, MANY YEARS, AND YOU ARE OUT NOW WITH A BOOK. WE SHOULD JUST GET THIS PART OF THE WAY BECAUSE THE REASON THAT YOU HAD BEEN OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHT WAS BECAUSE OF SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED BACK IN 2006, AND IT HAPPENED AT A COMEDY CLUB. IT WAS A -- THEY CALLED IT A BIG RACIST RANT, WHICH IT WAS. AND YOU SORT OF DISAPPEARED FROM THAT POINT ON. SO I KNOW YOU HAVE DONE A LOT OF WORK SINCE THEN. HOW ARE YOU DIFFERENT TODAY THAN YOU WERE ON THAT DAY? >> OH, THE DIFFERENCE, PROBABLY MORE AWARE OF MYSELF. ANGER. LOOKING AT IT VERY CLOSELY, IT'S SOMETHING ALWAYS WITH US, CERTAINLY WITH ME. NOT AS HORRIBLE AS IT WAS 18 YEARS AGO. ANGER HAD A HOLD OF ME. AND I -- I CANCELED MYSELF OUT. >> YOU CANCELED YOURSELF. >> TAKE A -- TAKE AN EXODUS. >> YEAH. >> GET AWAY FROM SHOW BUSINESS AND SEE WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON INSIDE ME TO HAVE BEEN SO DESPICABLE THAT NIGHT AND LOSING MY COOL. AND HURTING PEOPLE. >> DID YOU MAKE AMENDS, DO ALL THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW -- DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU SAID YOU WERE SORRY AND YOU DID ALL THE THINGS YOU FELT YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE? >> I THINK SO. CERTAINLY GETTING TO A PLACE WHERE I COULD FORGIVE MYSELF BECAUSE I HAVE TO MOVE ON TO BE TRUE BLUE ABOUT THAT. >> THAT WAS A CRITICAL MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE. ANOTHER CRITICAL MOMENT HAPPENED IN 2018 WHEN YOU WERE DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER. AND I FEEL LIKE THERE IS CERTAIN MOMENTS IN OUR LIVES THAT JUST SNAP OUR WORLD INTO FOCUS. IT IS LIKE, I HAVE A BEGINNING AND AN END NOW, SO I WILL FIGURE OUT HOW I'M GOING TO LIVE THESE LIVES. HOW DID THAT DIAGNOSIS CHANGE YOU? >> YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO GO. REALLY I HAD GIVEN INTO THAT. THEN I FOUND OUT THAT IF WE MOVE FAST ENOUGH, YOU KNOW, WE COULD GET AT THE CANCER. AND I HAD A GREAT SURGEON AT CEDAR SINAI THERE IN LOS ANGELES. OH, MY. I MADE IT, YOU KNOW. I BEAT IT. AND THAT CERTAINLY MOTIVATED ME TO GET AT THE BOOK BECAUSE I WENT THROUGH A BIG REVIEW OF MY LIFE. >> ISN'T THAT INTERESTING WHEN WE DO THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE DECIDE TO SIFT THROUGH ALL THE STUFF AND SEE WHAT'S THERE. YOU KNOW, MOST PEOPLE WHEN THEY SEE YOU ON TV, THEY REMEMBER YOU AS KRAMER. AND BUSTING THROUGH THE DOOR AND, YOU KNOW, DOING -- DOING WHAT YOU DID. I FOUND IT TOTALLY SURPRISING THAT YOU NEVER WATCHED THE SHOW AND YOUR PERFORMANCE UP UNTIL A COUPLE YEARS AGO. HOW COME? >> I USED TO IN THE VERY BEGINNING. BUT I WOULD JUST SEE HOW I COULD MAKE IT BETTER. >> SO YOU WERE TOO CRITICAL. >> AND THAT MADE ME KOOKOO. I CAN'T THINK ABOUT THE LAST SHOW I DID BEFORE THAT OR THE SHOW BEFORE THAT. I COULD HAVE DONE THIS OR COULD HAVE DONE THAT. SO I JUST DIDN'T WATCH THE SHOWS AT ALL. I JUST KEPT MOVING. >> WHEN YOU FINALLY DID GET DOWN TO SEE WHAT YOUR CHARACTER WAS LIKE OR HOW IT APPEARED, WHAT DID YOU THINK? >> AMAZING. OF COURSE, IT WAS MANY, MANY YEARS LATER AND I WATCHED THE SHOW WITH MY SON ANTONIO, WHO WAS 9 AT THE TIME. AND WE WATCHED THEM FROM BEGINNING TO END. >> DID HE THINK YOU WERE FUNNY? >> OH, YEAH, INDEED. EVERYBODY, THE WHOLE SHOW, WAS JUST COOKING. >> HE HAD TO THINK YOU WERE THE FUNNIEST, I IMAGINE. WHO DID HE THINK WAS THE FUNNIEST. >> YOU KNOW, I'M HIS DAD AND I'M KOOKIE AROUND THE HOUSE. SO FOR HIM TO SEE ALL THAT ON TELEVISION, THE COMEDY SHOW WAS PRETTY AMAZING. >> WHO WAS HIS FAVORITE CHARACTER? >> HIS FAVORITE CHARACTER REALLY COMING INTO THE SHOW AND ALL HIS FRIENDS, THEY'RE INTO NEWMAN. >> NEWMAN WAS HIS FAVORITE. >> YOU KNOW, WAYNE KNIGHT WHO PLAYED NEWMAN SO BRILLIANTLY. >> WE KNOW NEWMAN, YEAH. SO WHEN PEOPLE STOPPED YOU ON THE STREET WITH ALL YOUR SLOGANS, YOUR GIDDY UP, YOUR WHO TURNS DOWN A JUNIOR MINT, LIKE ALL THOSE PHRASES. >> YES. >> HOW DID THAT LAND WITH YOU? >> WELL, I COULD SEE THE SHOW IS CATCHING ON. >> YEAH. >> AND THAT'S A PLEASURE WHEN YOU ARE PERFORMING AND YOU WANT TO MEET YOUR AUDIENCE. AND, YEAH. >> WHAT DO YOU WANT? I MEAN, YOU HAVE WRITTEN YOUR BOOK. YOU HAVE COVERED THE HIGHS AND LOWS, ENTRANCES AND EXITS. THERE IS A LOT OF GROUND TO COVER IN THIS. BUT WHAT DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE LEARN ABOUT YOU WHEN THE LAST PAGE HAS BEEN TURNED? >> OH, THAT I'M HUMAN, YOU KNOW. THERE IS A GOOD, BAD AND AN UGHLY THROUGH THESE THINGS. THE ENTRANCES AND THE EXITS, WHAT I COME INTO, WHAT I COME OUT OF, ALWAYS SO ONGOING. A COMING AND A GOING. AND JUST DISCOVERING MYSELF ALONG THE WAY, IT'S REALLY A PLEASURE. I MEAN, IT IS HARD WORK, THOUGH, IN DEALING WITH THE LIVING AND THE DYING, I THINK, WHEN I GOT CLOSE TO THAT. >> SURE. >> FOUR AND A HALF YEARS AGO. THAT WAS -- THAT WAS JUST, WHEW. >> YEAH, IT REALLY LANDS IN A WAY. WELL, I'M HAPPY THAT YOU CAME ON TO SEE US. YOUR BOOK IS FASCINATING. IT IS CALLED "ENTRANCES AND EXITS." IT CALLS ALL T
