The actor was attending the red carpet premiere of his new movie, Solo Mio<\/a>, on Tuesday (January 27), when an Entertainment Tonigh<\/a>t reporter asked if he\u2019d recreate the pose that has since become a frequently used reaction meme across social media.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the wrong jacket to do it,\u201d James said when asked to strike the classic pose. \u201cIt felt so corny then; it would feel so corny now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey aren\u2019t you that guy from that meme?\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin James: pic.twitter.com\/YMLJcZE7AR<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matjoman Randisavi\u0107 (@klezmergord) September 25, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n Despite his protests, James did his best to mimic the viral pose, raising his shoulders and giving the camera a sideways smirk.<\/p>\n Entertainment Tonight<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time the Emmy-nominated actor has embraced the popular meme. During a January 2024 appearance on The Tonight Show<\/a>, James and Jimmy Fallon recreated the pose<\/a>. While on the show, he also reflected on taking the famous photo.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember\u2026 When you first get a sitcom, you\u2019re just so happy to be there,\u201d he said, per People<\/a>. \u201cAnd the photographer was just telling me to do goofy things.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued, \u201cI got into this position, \u2018What the hell am I doing? Please bury that one.\u2019 [The photographer] goes, \u2018Yeah, no worries. That won\u2019t come back.’\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTwenty-five years later, the thing pops up,\u201d James added, shaking his head.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> as Doug and Carrie Heffernan, a working-class couple living in Rego Park, Queens, along with Carrie\u2019s widowed father, Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller<\/a>).<\/p>\n The show has seen a recent rise in popularity; according to Collider<\/a>, the long-running sitcom is back in the Paramount+ Top 10 as of January 2026. Fans have also been clamoring for a reboot.<\/p>\n Last June, Remini told Us Weekly<\/a>, \u201cOf course I would consider it,\u201d when asked about potentially reviving the show. However, she noted, \u201cIt would be hard to do a show like that without Jerry Stiller. They\u2019d have to think of something to represent him.\u201d<\/p>\n Stiller passed away on May 11, 2020, from natural causes at his home in Manhattan at the age of 92.<\/p>\n James has shared similar feelings, telling Collider<\/a> in July 2025, \u201cI 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\u2019t know. I just can\u2019t even picture it. I don\u2019t know. It\u2019s just a weird way to do it. Why? Why would you do that if you don\u2019t have him?\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t![\"Kevin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kevin-james-532x570.jpg\")
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