Kevin James Finally Explained That King Of Queens Meme & What He Thinks Of It
If you've been on social media at any point over the last few months, you know precisely what Kevin James meme we're talking about. A Getty image of the "King of Queens" star from 1998 of him shrugging and smirking cunningly blew up on the internet, with people coming up with all kinds of scenarios where the reaction would be appropriate. The meme has reached the man himself, and he thinks it's "so, so dumb."
Kevin James appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," with a clip of the conversation surrounding the meme making its way to TikTok. James offers some backstory on the picture, which originated from when he was first cast on "The King of Queens" and went along with anything he was told during the photoshoot. "[The photographer] was just telling me to do goofy things," he explains. "And he was like, 'Smile. Now, like you're sexy. Now, like you're shy ... I got into this position where I'm like, 'What the hell am I doing?'" The actor relates how he told the photographer to "bury" the picture that would become the meme, but the internet can find anything and everything from the past.
@fallontonight @Kevin James explains the story behind the Kevin James meme 🤣 #FallonTonight #TonightShow #KevinJames #KevinJamesMeme #KingOfQueens
James must not mind the attention too much. Fallon proceeds to show some examples of the meme, with James chuckling. Additionally, the episode's cold open sees him and the entire "Tonight Show" crew reenacting the image, so there's still some life left in that photo.
Don't expect a King of Queens reboot to produce more memes
Kevin James has been doing a lot of interviews lately to promote his new stand-up comedy special, "Irregardless," which is available to watch now on Amazon Prime Video. James may be all the rage with the kids with the "King of Queens" meme blowing up online, but the actor isn't necessarily returning the appreciation. "Irregardless" takes a "you kids get off my lawn" approach with some jokes about how too many children are obsessed with video games or constantly have their faces buried in an electronic device. James seems moderately amused at the meme, but don't expect him to become a full-on influencer.
While the internet can always mine other promotional '90s photos and screengrabs from "The King of Queens" for more fodder down the road, people shouldn't expect a reboot to pull material from. In an interview with "Today" to promote his stand-up, James quickly shot down a possible "King of Queens" revival. "You cannot do it because of Jerry [Stiller] ... Jerry was amazing." Stiller passed away in 2020 after a fantastic career, including playing Arthur Spooner on "The King of Queens." He brought superb comedic energy to the sitcom, and James doesn't want to continue the show without him.
Even if a revival never materializes, the legacy of "The King of Queens" is secure. Living on as a meme is one of the highest honors a pop culture touchstone can receive, so perhaps James should be thanking those kids who can't look up from their tablets.