Cosmo Kramer is a walking anomaly. He doesn't just enter a room; he invades it, usually with a sliding floor-burn and a look of panicked determination. But if you look closer at the nine seasons of Seinfeld, you’ll see that Michael Richards’ performance wasn't just about the physical slips and falls. It was about the vices. Kramer drinking and smoking became a cornerstone of the character’s "hipster doofus" energy, turning mundane habits into high-stakes physical theater.
Think about the iconic image of Kramer in a booth at Monk’s. He’s usually got a coffee, but sometimes it’s something else. Or he’s clutching a Cuban cigar like it’s a religious relic. It’s funny. Why? Because Kramer does everything at 110% capacity. When he smokes, he isn't just having a puff; he’s turning his entire face into a chimney. When he drinks, it’s a struggle against gravity itself.
The Night Kramer Drank a Beer While Smoking a Cigarette
Ask any hardcore fan about the peak of Kramer’s "consumption" comedy, and they’ll point to one specific scene. Season 5, Episode 4: "The Sniffing Accountant."
The plot is simple enough. Jerry, George, and Kramer suspect their accountant is a drug addict because he goes to the bathroom too much. Kramer goes undercover at a bar to investigate. What follows is arguably one of the greatest feats of physical acting in sitcom history.
Kramer sits at the bar, orders a Hennigan’s (the "no-smell" Scotch), and lights a cigarette. But he doesn't stop there. He decides to drink the entire beer in one go while the cigarette is still firmly planted in his mouth.
It was a real stunt.
Michael Richards actually performed that. He chugged the brew, smoke curling into his eyes, his throat working overtime to balance the intake of liquid and the exhale of tobacco. He finishes, lets out a massive, beer-fueled belch, and then—in a moment of pure Kramer genius—exhales a perfect cloud of smoke.
Richards has mentioned in various interviews and behind-the-scenes features that he did several takes of that. He wanted the timing to be perfect. The physical toll of chugging carbonated liquid while inhaling smoke is something most actors would avoid. For Richards, it was just Tuesday. It showed that Kramer’s body operates on a different set of physics than ours.
The Hennigan’s Factor
We have to talk about Hennigan’s. It’s the fictional Scotch that Kramer pitches to Jerry as the perfect daytime drink.
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"Hennigan's: The no-smell, no-tell Scotch."
The brilliance here is how Kramer sells the idea of being a functional alcoholic. He’s so convinced by the marketing that he thinks he can walk around completely hammered and no one will know because they can't smell it. It’s a recurring theme in Kramer’s life: he believes in the impossible. He believes he can outsmart the biological realities of drinking.
Why the Cigars Matter
If the drinking was about sudden bursts of chaos, the smoking was about Kramer’s aspiration. Kramer didn't smoke cigarettes often—that was more of an undercover "tough guy" bit. No, Kramer was a cigar man.
Specifically, he was a Cuban cigar man.
This wasn't just a prop choice. It highlighted his "Kramer-ness." He’s a guy with no visible income who somehow has access to high-end illegal imports. He’s a man of leisure. In "The Abstinence," we see the dark side of this. He starts a smoking lounge in his apartment, which leads to one of the most horrifyingly funny visual gags in the show's run: the "Kramer Face."
He smokes so much that his skin turns into a piece of old luggage. His teeth go yellow. He looks like a gargoyle. This led to the introduction of Jackie Chiles, the flamboyant lawyer based on Johnnie Cochran. The lawsuit against the tobacco company wasn't about health; it was about vanity.
Kramer’s relationship with smoking was never about the nicotine. It was about the aesthetic of being a "power player." He wanted to be the guy in the velvet robe, even if that robe was probably stolen from a hotel or found in a dumpster.
The Physics of a Kramer Gulp
Have you ever noticed how Kramer drinks? It’s never a sip. It’s a full-body commitment.
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When he’s at Jerry’s and he grabs a Snapple or a soda from the fridge, his head tilts back at an angle that should technically snap a human neck. His Adam's apple moves like a piston.
This isn't just "acting." It’s "clowning."
Richards studied the greats—Chaplin, Keaton, Tati. He understood that to make Kramer drinking and smoking funny, it had to be uncomfortable to watch. It had to look like his body was rejecting the very things he was putting into it.
- The Spills: Half the time, the drink doesn't even make it into his mouth. It’s on his shirt, the floor, or Jerry’s counter.
- The Reaction: There is always a "kickback." A shiver that runs through his spine after a cold drink.
- The Sound: Richards used vocalizations—pops, clicks, and gasps—to emphasize the act of swallowing.
The "Smoker’s Lounge" and the Reality of 90s Television
Looking back from 2026, it’s wild to see how much smoking was tolerated on a primetime sitcom. In the 90s, you could build an entire B-plot around a guy turning his living room into a tobacco den.
In "The English Patient" (the episode, not the movie), Kramer tries to get "Cubans" to roll cigars for him. It turns out they aren't Cuban people; they’re actually Dominicans. The joke plays on Kramer’s ignorance, but it also shows his obsession with the culture of smoking. He’s a purist who doesn't know what he’s talking about.
He treats the act of smoking as a craft. He talks about the "leaf," the "wrap," and the "burn." But then he’ll accidentally set a hairpiece on fire or burn a hole in a couch.
Honestly, the smoking was a way to ground Kramer’s character. He’s so ethereal and weird that giving him a physical, stinky, messy habit like cigar smoking made him feel like a real person—albeit a very strange one. It gave him something to do with his hands. And Michael Richards, being the perfectionist he was, used those cigars as extensions of his fingers. He’d point with them, gesticulate wildly, and use the smoke to create a literal screen between him and reality.
The Health Hazards of Playing Kramer
Richards has been vocal over the years about the physical toll the role took on him. While he wasn't actually a heavy smoker or drinker in real life, the performance of those things was exhausting.
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Imagine doing 10 takes of a scene where you have to fall backward while holding a hot coffee. Or the "Sniffing Accountant" scene mentioned earlier. The man was a physical athlete. He treated comedy like a contact sport.
There’s a nuance to Kramer drinking and smoking that often gets lost. It’s the "aftermath." The way he coughs after a particularly thick puff of smoke isn't always scripted. Sometimes it’s just the natural reaction of a man who has pushed his body to the limit for a laugh.
What We Can Learn From the Cosmo Kramer Lifestyle
So, what’s the takeaway here? Is it that we should all go out, buy a box of illegal Cubans, and drink Scotch at 2:00 PM? Probably not. Jerry would tell you it’s a bad idea, and George would just be jealous he didn't think of it first.
The real insight is about the commitment to a bit.
Kramer’s drinking and smoking habits were funny because he was 100% committed to them. He didn't do anything halfway. If he was going to be a smoker, he was going to be the most smoker. If he was going to have a drink, he was going to treat it like his last.
How to Appreciate the Craft Today
If you’re rewatching the series, pay attention to the props. Look at how Richards handles a glass.
- Watch the eyes. When Kramer drinks, his eyes often bulge or dart around. He’s looking for a reaction or anticipating the next disaster.
- Listen to the breath. The way he exhales smoke is rhythmic. It’s part of the "Kramer tempo."
- Observe the recovery. After he smokes or drinks, he usually has to "reset" his body. He’ll shake out his arms or adjust his jacket. It’s the sound of a machine recalibrating.
Kramer remains a masterclass in how to use everyday objects—a bottle, a cigar, a light—to tell a story about a character who is perpetually out of sync with the world around him. He’s the only person who can make a simple glass of water look like a life-threatening challenge.
Next time you see him slide into Jerry’s kitchen, look at what’s in his hand. Chances are, it’s about to become a part of the funniest thing you’ll see all day.
To really dive into the world of Richards’ physical comedy, your best bet is to watch the "Inside Look" features on the Seinfeld DVD sets (or streaming extras). They break down the choreography of his scenes, specifically how they handled the "tobacco face" makeup and the bar stunts. It's a reminder that being that "loose" on camera actually requires an incredible amount of tight, disciplined control.