Michael Richards Says That Kramer Originally Had a Ponytail in SEINFELD but He Decided to Ditch the Idea

Seinfeld is one of those timeless classic comedy sitcoms that will continue to keep fans returning to rewatch, and probably gain new viewers over the years. It’s a hilarious show, and what made it so good was the writing and the four stars that brought the characters to life.

Jerry was the comedian with problems in dating, George was neurotic and was always dealing with trouble at work and with his parents, Elaine had her own relationship woes and weird bosses to deal with, and Kramer was Jerry’s quirky neighbor who had a style all his own as he marched to the beat of his own drum.

Kramer’s eccentric personality and vintagy thrift shop threads paired with his “bride of Frankenstein” hairdo and signature slide into a room were the perfect combo to give viewers the right feel for who we were dealing with. But Kramer almost had a different look.

Actor Michael Richards, who played Kramer for nine seasons, talked about the character on The Rich Eisen Show, and described creator Larry David’s vision for his character's appearance:

“When I started out and they were casting, Larry [David] was still close to Kenny Kramer as he visualized the Kramer character, and he suggested I wear a ponytail ‘cause Kenny wore a ponytail. But I broke that off quickly as I started to get into Cosmo Kramer.”

Kenny Kramer was a stand-up comedian who lived next door to Larry David just like Cosmo Kramer did Jerry. However, the sitcom actor made sure not to meet the real-life inspiration so he could make the role his own.

While he did have some good comedic ideas for where to go with the ponytail, Richards ultimately decided to go his own way with the styling of Kramer’s hair.

“Well I couldn’t grow it out in time and I didn’t want to wear a fake one, although I considered, ‘Hmm, a fake one. It could fall off at times.’ And we see that it’s fake and he’s very concerned about this fake ponytail. But it falls off and he has to stick it in his pocket, and that’s an interesting cover. That could lead to comedy. But I ditched that idea and just decided to go into something more personal. I pulled the hair out, put some gunk in and let that fly.”

This also would have been really funny, but it turned out that Kramer was a pretty confident guy, and he wore his enduring hairstyle well all the way through the series. It would be funny to have seen a few episodes that played out this way though!