Seinfeld's Cosmo Kramer originally had a different name

We know the first and last names of Jerry Seinfeld, George Costanza and Elina Benes, but throughout “Seinfeld” Kramer is just called Kramer. It makes sense that we know so little about Kramer's identity because he's so weird. Based on “Seinfeld” co-creator Larry David's eccentric neighbor Kenny Kramerhe's someone who keeps coming to Jerry's apartment and doesn't have a traditional job outside of his elaborate schemes and get-rich-quick ideas. In the “Seinfeld” pilot, he is called Kessler, then in episode 8 of season 9 “Betrayal”, Kramer jokingly calls it a mistake in his buzzer.

Almost nothing is revealed about Kramer's backstory until Season 6, Episode 11, “The Switch,” where we are introduced to his mother, Babs Kramer. She works as a bathroom attendant in a fancy restaurant. Although Babs has a strained relationship with his son, George enlists him to spy on his girlfriend, who has an eating disorder, to see if she, he says, flushes his money down the toilet after eating. It's Babs who then reveals Kramer's real, full name to George: Cosmo Kramer. George happily reports this to the rest of the gang, who joke about how they (like the audience) have been trying to find out Kramer's real name for years. They laugh at how absurd the name is, and Cosmo really is perfect for such a quirky character. However, he originally had a very different (and much less weird) name.

In 2014, “Seinfeld” writer and possible “Borat” director Larry Charles told ScreenCrush that Cosmo Kramer was originally intended for Konrad Kramer. The name sounds a bit like Cosmo, but Konrad has a more refined quality and is definitely no laughing matter. Charles admitted that he was thinking of Conrad Birdie from “Bye Bye Birdie,” a character who is equal parts wasted in the spotlight and responsible for a lot of chaos around him. His name was supposed to be revealed in the Season 2 episode “The Bet,” which The “Seinfeld” cast and crew ultimately refused to shoot.

Since this the controversial “Seinfeld” script has since been leakedwe now know that the plot revolved around Elaine's desire to buy a gun to feel safe in the city. At one point, she buys a fake gun to fool Jerry, pointing it at him and saying, “I'm going to blow your brains out,” before Jerry asks if she'll give him a “Kennedy” or a “Lincoln.” “'Seinfeld' characters can be crude and their actions cruel, but this was just too much. Charles was disappointed that the episode “fell by the wayside,” his choice of name for Kramer did, but overall it seems to have worked out for the best. ends with a wonderful nice name that really suits him.