Cosmo may no longer be on the rocks.
Michael Richards has agreed to meet with the African-American comedy club patrons whose heckling triggered the racist rant heard round the world.
The former Seinfeld star will meet with the four men before a retired judge to extend a personal apology for his behavior and potentially offer to ease their outrage by forking over punitive damages.
"Michael Richards would like to apologize in person to the gentleman with whom he had the exchange in the club," read a joint statement from Richards and the camera-ready lawyer Gloria Allred.
"After discussions with Gloria Allred, an attorney who represents the man and three others who were with him that night, Michael has agreed that they will all meet in the presence of a retired judge, who will facilitate the meeting and help the parties resolve this matter.
"All concerned are hopeful that a face-to-face meeting will be constructive and begin the necessary process of healing and closure."
While there was no official word on when, where or which ex-judge would oversee the tête-à-tête, Allred told reporters it would likely take place in early January.
"He's really happy that he has a chance to do this," said Chris Giglio, a representative for Richards. "I imagine it would be sooner, rather than later."
The 57-year-old comic actor has been on a tour of contrition since his N-word-spewing tirade at Hollywood's Laugh Factory Nov. 17, offering a widely lampooned apology on the Late Show with David Letterman and attempting to persuade Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton that he's not a racist. The targets of his reputation-killing rant have also been making the rounds.
Kyle Doss and Frank McBride, the two men who triggered Richards' now-infamous invective, held a press conference Friday at the Laugh Factory, where Doss claimed to be "very hurt by what happened" and said he's eager to tell the former sitcom star "how his words made us feel."
Last week, the men, who have agreed to abide by whatever recommendation the judge makes, also appeared on the Today show to tell their side of the story.
Doss and McBride said they were at the comedy club with two friends to celebrate a birthday. They acknowledged that their talking likely disrupted Richards' act but maintained that his explosive response was completely out of line.
On that, Richards seems to agree.
Not once on his cross-country apology tour has the onetime sitcom star defended his actions.
While appearing on the Late Show at the behest of Jerry Seinfeld, Richards claimed that he was "really busted up" over the incident and chalked it up to his simply losing his temper, not to his being a racist.
"I'm not a racist, that's what so insane about this," he said. "And yet, it's said, it comes through—it fires out of me."
On Jackson's nationally syndicated radio show, Keep Hope Alive, Richards said he was seeking help to deal with his anger-management issues and painted himself as a one-man United Nations, claiming some of his "best friends were African Americans." Despite the appearance, Jackson called for a boycott of the just-released Seinfeld season seven DVD.
Not that it has had much of an effect.
What started out looking like horrendously poor timing may end up proving to be a stroke of marketing luck. Seemingly boosted by Richards' sudden infamy after just one week, the DVD Empire Website reported that sales of the new Seinfeld box set are up more than 75 percent from season six and 90 percent from season five.