'Seinfeld' Star Michael Richards on 2006 Racial Outburst: 'I'm Not Racist'

"Seinfeld" star Michael Richards has addressed his race outburst that effectively ended his career almost two decades ago, saying he was "immediately sorry" after the words came out.

The actor, 74, won three Emmy awards for his portrayal of Cosmo Kramer on "Seinfeld" between 1989 and 1998. However, he stepped away from the limelight after a 2006 incident in which he used racial slurs toward a group of Black audience members who had heckled him during a stand-up routine at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, The Guardian reported.

"I was immediately sorry the moment I said it onstage," Richards said about that night in an interview with People magazine, published Wednesday. "I'm not looking for a comeback."

Richards went on to explain his anger "was all over the place and it came through hard and fast."

"Anger is quite a force," he said. "But it happened. Rather than run from it, I dove into the deep end and tried to learn from it. It hasn't been easy."

"I'm not racist," Richards added. "I have nothing against Black people. The man who told me I wasn't funny had just said what I'd been saying to myself for a while. I felt put down. I wanted to put him down."

Richards recalled being advised by crisis managers to do damage control but instead decided to dedicate the past 17 years to reflecting on his insecurities, including his discomfort at becoming a celebrity. Ultimately, it meant turning down dozens of opportunities which included offers to host "Saturday Night Live" as well as receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

"I didn't feel deserving," he said. "I was never really satisfied with my 'Seinfeld' performance. Fame magnified my insecurities."

"Somehow I couldn't connect to the joy of being an artist," he added of his time on "Seinfeld." "I was a good character actor, but I was comfortable being the character, not in being me."