Leah Remini didn\u2019t think The King of Queens would take off. The actress played Carrie Heffernan opposite Kevin James for nine seasons on the beloved CBS sitcom, but she was hesitant to get too excited when the series first premiered in 1998.<\/p>\n
In an October 2025 Instagram post<\/a>, Remini explained why she feared the show would fail. \u201cI didn\u2019t think The King of Queens was going to be a big hit!\u201d she wrote. \u201cNot because I didn\u2019t love Kevin James or think he was great \u2014 we had instant chemistry. And not because I didn\u2019t think the writers were great; they were amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n Remini explained that she had her heart \u201cbroken\u201d too many times with other series that ultimately failed. \u201cBy the time I got cast in The King of Queens, I had filmed a ton of pilots and been cast in a bunch of TV shows that ultimately got canceled,\u201d she shared. \u201cSo I had become cynical and just assumed it wouldn\u2019t work out. It\u2019s been 27 years since The King of Queens premiered, and it\u2019s still one of the top-rated shows in syndication.\u201d<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfacSIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox<\/a>\ud83c\udfac<\/p>\n Before scoring her life-changing role in the sitcom about a Queens, NY couple, Remini had starred in the short-lived series Living Dolls, First Time Out, and Fired Up in the early and mid-1990s.<\/p>\n When she met James, she knew he was special, but she didn\u2019t dare dream that The King of Queens would make her a sitcom queen.<\/p>\n In a clip from a 2015 appearance on Sirius XM’s Howard Stern Show<\/a>, Remini revealed that when she auditioned with James, it was \u201cinstant chemistry.\u201d Still, she thought, \u201cthis is probably gonna get canceled because it\u2019s too normal for people.\u201d<\/p>\n Due to her history with canceled shows, when The King of Queens started, Remini refused to even decorate her dressing room. \u201cNot because I didn\u2019t think it was good. I thought it was great,\u201d she said of the sitcom. \u201cI was like, it\u2019s so good it probably won\u2019t make it. Because shows are looking to do different things, and this is a show about a family.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite her concerns, The King of Queens went on for nine successful seasons, ending its run in May 2007. Nearly 20 years later, Remini still says James is the only leading man for her.<\/p>\n \u201cHe kind of ruined me for future projects. I loved working with Kevin so much,\u201d Remini told Us Weekly<\/a> in a June 2025 interview. \u201cI\u2019ve said that a thousand times, but he really did ruin me because he\u2019s the perfect leading man for me.\u201d<\/p>\n This story was originally reported by Parade<\/a> on Oct 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the Entertainment<\/a> section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n