Michael Richards became emotional after opening up about being the result of a sexual assault.
The 74-year-old actor and comedian, famously known for playing Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld, was interviewed by Entertainment Tonight about his career and life.
Back in 2006, the Emmy-winning actor stepped away from the spotlight after he yelled racial remarks, including using the N-word several times, to a group of hecklers after they interrupted his stand-up show.
Though he later apologized on the then-Late Show With David Letterman, the incident notably upended his career.
In a recent interview with ET's Nischelle Turner, the former Seinfeld star - who is releasing his memoir, Entrances and Exits - had already "canceled himself" when TMZ published the shocking clip.
Richards also candidly spoke to Turner about a heartbreaking part of his past. The book reveals how he discovered that he had been born after his mom, Phyllis Nardozzi, was raped by a stranger when she was 26 years old.
The comic wrote that his mom considered abortion but as the traumatic incident happened in 1948, it was both illegal and exceedingly dangerous. She also thought about adoption and did not bring Richards home from the hospital following his birth.
But she changed her mind and kept him, creating a story about his biological dad being a war widow and making up a name to put on the birth certificate, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Speaking about his mom's assault in the interview, Richards said: "This is very deep stuff. I didn't know about the rape. So, you know."
Watch Richards' interview below:The comedian became visibly emotional about the tragedy and said that he did not want to use it as a way to make himself seem more sympathetic after his 2006 racist tirade.
"I don't want any pity. I'm coming clean with you because we're human," he said, adding that he was not seeking out a return to comedy. "I'm not out here for that. I don't even have an agent," he continued.
Explaining why he had opened up, Richards added: "This is close to my heart and soul."
In another interview with PEOPLE, Richards revealed that the truth about his mom left him with a lifelong feeling of not being loved.
“I had to come to terms with knowing I was unwanted or that my mother wanted to get rid of me,” 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," he continued.
The comedian said that profound feeling led him to turn down opportunities in the acting industry such as saying “no to the offer of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame".
"I didn’t feel deserving,” he shared. “I said no to hosting Saturday Night Live twice because I didn’t feel good enough.”
Entrances and Exits will hit shelves on June 4.
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