Kevin James Strikes ‘King of Queens’ Pose Amid Reboot Rumors

Martin Holmes January 29, 2026, 9:04 am

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Kevin James recreated his iconic King of Queens pose at the premiere of his new movie, acknowledging its viral resurgence as a popular meme despite feeling it was “corny.”
The classic sitcom has experienced renewed popularity, entering the Paramount+ Top 10, and fans are actively discussing the possibility of a reboot.
Both James and co-star Leah Remini have expressed openness to a revival, but they emphasize that continuing without the late Jerry Stiller, who was central to the show, would be difficult.

Kevin James just can’t escape that goofy pose he made for a King of Queens photoshoot more than 20 years ago.

The actor was attending the red carpet premiere of his new movie, Solo Mio, on Tuesday (January 27), when an Entertainment Tonight reporter asked if he’d recreate the pose that has since become a frequently used reaction meme across social media.

For those unfamiliar, the original photo shows James as his King of Queens character Doug Heffernan, dressed in a plaid shirt, shrugging, and pulling an exasperated expression. In recent years, the photo resurfaced as a viral meme, with social media users regularly using it to react.

“This is the wrong jacket to do it,” James said when asked to strike the classic pose. “It felt so corny then; it would feel so corny now.”

“Hey aren’t you that guy from that meme?”

Kevin James: pic.twitter.com/YMLJcZE7AR

— Matjoman Randisavić (@klezmergord) September 25, 2023

Despite his protests, James did his best to mimic the viral pose, raising his shoulders and giving the camera a sideways smirk.

Entertainment Tonight

This isn’t the first time the Emmy-nominated actor has embraced the popular meme. During a January 2024 appearance on The Tonight Show, James and Jimmy Fallon recreated the pose. While on the show, he also reflected on taking the famous photo.

“I remember… When you first get a sitcom, you’re just so happy to be there,” he said, per People. “And the photographer was just telling me to do goofy things.”

He continued, “I got into this position, ‘What the hell am I doing? Please bury that one.’ [The photographer] goes, ‘Yeah, no worries. That won’t come back.'”

“Twenty-five years later, the thing pops up,” James added, shaking his head.

The King of Queens ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, airing over 200 episodes across nine seasons. It starred James and Leah Remini as Doug and Carrie Heffernan, a working-class couple living in Rego Park, Queens, along with Carrie’s widowed father, Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller).

The show has seen a recent rise in popularity; according to Collider, the long-running sitcom is back in the Paramount+ Top 10 as of January 2026. Fans have also been clamoring for a reboot.

The King of Queens Fun Facts: Trivia About CBS Sitcom

Last June, Remini told Us Weekly, “Of course I would consider it,” when asked about potentially reviving the show. However, she noted, “It would be hard to do a show like that without Jerry Stiller. They’d have to think of something to represent him.”

Stiller passed away on May 11, 2020, from natural causes at his home in Manhattan at the age of 92.

James has shared similar feelings, telling Collider in July 2025, “I would never say no, but it feels hard because for me, [Stiller] was such a part of it, man. He was the glue in that thing. I don’t know. I just can’t even picture it. I don’t know. It’s just a weird way to do it. Why? Why would you do that if you don’t have him?”