It is hardly an exaggeration to say that a large part of Primetime Emmy Awards for Best ing Actor for his role, far more than any other Seinfeld cast member. Kramer is a conflict of identities — he is often blatantly apathetic to the difficulties his friends go through, sometimes even as a result of his actions!
On the other hand, he can also be courteous and protective, although this comes with the dangerous side-effect of hearing Kramer speak his mind, no filters attached. However, since he often makes situations worse far more than any assistance he can offer, here is a list detailing 10 occasions in which his behavior was utterly disgraceful.
He Sued A Coffee Company For His Own Mistake
In "The Maestro," the show parodies a real-life lawsuit in which Stella Liebeck burnt herself with a McDonald's coffee that was a few degrees short of boiling point. Kramer scalds himself with a Java World coffee inside a theater, after being explicitly told that outside beverages were not allowed. Being Kramer, he goes to see his lawyer, Jackie Chiles, who convinces him that he has a case.
However, when Java World is about to offer a settlement in his favor, starting with free coffee at any of their stores worldwide, Kramer agrees enthusiastically before any actual monetary compensation is put on the table. Later, Jackie angrily reacts in his standard babble, "Who told you to take it? I didn't tell you to take it!"
He Blamed A Crime On His Intern
Kramer is never short of get-rich quick-quick schemes, but the best/worst one of them is, inarguably, "Kramerica Industries." He "hires" an intern from NYU, Darin, to help him figure out the logistics for his outlandish project, in this case, a prototype rubber bladder to prevent oil leakage in vehicle tanks. However, he decides to test its viability by dropping a gigantic ball filled with oil from George's new office, which unexpectedly lands on Jerry's fling at the time, Claire.
As expected, Claire sues George's company for damages, but Kramer pins everything on Darin, saying that he "will be going away" for a long time. What makes it worse is that Darin was taken out of Kramerica Industries by his university, but returns to Kramer because he actually trusted his potential.
He Creeped Out Fred Savage
Kramer moves to Hollywood in "The Keys," where he plans to make it big as an actor. His ambitions are a bust, as usual, but he manages to get in quite a bit of adventure under his belt. In "The Trip", Kramer finds child actor Fred Savage eating at a restaurant, and goes up to offer him the starring role in a movie he was writing.
Unfortunately, Kramer was in such awe of Savage's fame that he stuttered throughout his monologue, saying things like "Did I frighten you? I'm not crazy! I'm just a regular guy," while sounding exactly the opposite. In fact, Savage is so freaked out that he practically runs away from Kramer.
He Wanted To Open A Tab At Jerry’s
Kramer treats Jerry's fridge and pantry like it was his own private restaurant, going over and stealing his food whenever the mood strikes him. In fact, this nature of his is evident from the pilot episode itself, in which he pulls two slices of bread from his shirt pockets, asking Jerry if he had any "meat."
In "The Seven," Jerry gets tired of his constant pillaging and bans him from stealing his groceries after he drinks half a can of soda and takes just one bite from an apple (because Kramer claimed he would pay Jerry only for whatever he took). Fortunately, Kramer manages to scrounge up the $50 required to pay his tab by selling a bicycle he had unfairly won from Elaine.
He Has A Hot Tub In His Living Room
Kramer has done a lot of things to his apartment, storing odd objects such as a wooden crutch, multiple cardboard boxes, and even a bag of Jerry's trash. He loves interior decor, but doesn't quite seem to understand how it works, as shown when he gets rid of all the furniture in his apartment and replaces it with "levels."
In "The Hot Tub", Kramer decides that he wants to throw parties at his place, and puts a massive hot tub right in his living room. To power this monstrosity, he gets an industrial-strength heater, which consequently shorts the fuses in the entire building.
He Burned Down The Ross’ Cabin
Kramer gets some Cuban cigars from George, which he uses to obtain entry into an exclusive country club in "The Bubble Boy." He plans to meet the gang at a beautiful wood cabin belonging to Susan Ross' father. However, due to a prior commitment (harassing a poor kid with a severely dampened immune system during a game of Trivial Pursuit), they arrive much after he does.
In the meantime, Kramer is shamelessly smoking his cigars in the cabin, while casting his fishing reel around the room. He then goes out to the lake with his partner, Naomi, leaving his lit cigar on the mantel. It falls on a pile of old newspapers, and the rest is history.
He Convinced Jerry To Pee In A Parking Garage
In "The Parking Garage," the gang is stuck looking for their car (as Kramer forgot where he parked it). Jerry's bladder is about to burst, but being a civil and considerate person, he plans to hold it until they get home.
Kramer then asks him if he doesn't "get tired of following rules," assuring Jerry that he can go in a dark corner where nobody will notice. As is Murphy's Law, Jerry is caught by a security guard and forced to pay a fine before being let go.
He Tried To Brainwash Little Children
Kramer finds himself a job working as Santa Claus at Coleman's Department Store. While he does the job well at first, his interactions with Ned, Elaine's boyfriend, lead him towards espousing his communist philosophies. Kramer tells a child asking for a racing car set about child labor in Taiwan, claiming that kids like him are being tricked by "capitalist fat-cats."
The kid starts screaming about Kramer "being a commie" and a "traitor to our country." The strangest part about the whole incident is when Kramer reveals that he didn't realize how controversial communism was.
He Made Woody Allen Cry
Somehow, Kramer manages to find a role in a Woody Allen movie, but he only has one line: "These pretzels are making me thirsty." Considering his eagerness to be an actor, he takes it very seriously, constantly practicing with the help of his friends. He even buys a large box of salted pretzels, so he could be as authentic as possible.
Unfortunately, Kramer is not immune to his own ineptitude on set. In his excitement, he shatters a glass mug during filming, and a small shard flies across the room and hits Woody Allen, who apparently started crying and screaming. Kramer was instantly, and unsurprisingly, fired.
He Is Friends With Newman
Newman is a hateful character, especially viewed through Jerry's biased perspective. To see him cavorting with Kramer is intolerable to Jerry - he considers it as a betrayal of their friendship. In this instance, it is not Kramer being shameful so much as both of them humiliating each other.
For instance, Kramer and Newman play Risk in "The Label Maker," but as Kramer doesn't trust his opponent, he hides the board in Jerry's home. Newman still manages to find a way to cater to his obsession for victory, finding a way into the apartment through the fire escape. Their most embarrassing story is of their bottle deposit scheme, in which Kramer dumps everything from the truck, including the bottles and Newman, so he could follow Jerry's stolen car.