Why Leah Remini Says Kevin James Ruined Her For Life
If you watch "King of Queens," chances are you enjoy the characters portrayed by Leah Remini and Kevin James. The co-stars played married couple Doug and Carrie Heffernan on the hit CBS show from 1998-2007 (via Showbiz CheatSheet). These two share a close real-life relationship, according to The Things.
In 2015, Remini wrote a book called "Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology" where she complained about filming a weekly sitcom, but she actually adored being a part of the show's nine year run. "Although I did more than my share of complaining, I loved 'King of Queens,'" Remini wrote. "I hate when people say 'Enjoy it' when you're complaining or something. I am enjoying it. But I also enjoy complaining about it. It's one of my favorite pastimes. I loved the audiences and the crew, but above all, I enjoyed the everyday-ness of the job."
Remini revealed that her "King of Queens" co-star ruined her for life for one specific reason. However, it's not exactly what you might think.
Here's how Leah Remini says Kevin James ruined her career
Kevin James ruined acting for Leah Remini because, as her first leading man, he performed spectacularly. In her book, she explained why. "I had Kevin, who has ruined me for life," she wrote of James. "He was my first leading man, and despite doing other shows with other leading men, I've never found anyone who could compare favorably to him. When I was acting with him, I felt safe." The actress noted that James always figured out how to make the scripts more comical (via Showbiz CheatSheet).
In addition, he often asked the writers to give her funnier lines, giving to her and their partnership instead of enhancing his own star power. "I knew that no matter what the joke or the script was, Kevin would find a way to make it better," she wrote in her book. "He was gracious, the kind of actor who would often say, 'Give Leah the joke instead of me' — unheard of in a town full of ego-driven males."
Here's how their relationship led to another sitcom
Leah Remini likened their relationship to that of a married couple, somewhat like their on-screen alter egos in "King of Queens," because they fought like a longtime couple but always made up. "I drove him crazy like any good wife would," said Remini. Their closeness led to James bringing Remini on his later sitcom "Kevin Can Wait" (via The Things). Their chemistry together is undeniable, and Remini loved getting another chance to star with James. "I would've taken any opportunity to work with Kevin again," Remini told New York Daily News. "I've worked with other leading men after Kevin, but there's something very special that you just can't kind of explain when something works with somebody."
They shared a close relationship even though they didn't practice the same religion, which some married couples also navigate. Although the Church of Scientology denied it, in a 2017 interview with People, Remini said that the organization pushed her to convert her co-star. "They always tried to get me to, [asking] 'Why is he not in? Why have you not promoted it to him?' I was like, 'Because he's Catholic. He doesn't want anything to do with it.'" The actress later noted that James even provided friendship and support to her as she made the life-changing choice to leave The Church of Scientology. "He reached out to me and said, 'I'm so proud of you; if you need anything, I'm here,'" she said.
Here's how Leah Remini said goodbye to Kevin James a second time
Unfortunately, "Kevin Can Wait" didn't have a solid nine-season run like "King of Queens" (via The Things). Despite the cancelation, Remini had plenty of lovely things to say about her two-time co-star when the show got canceled after season two.
She posted about the sitcom ending on her Instagram, noting how thankful she felt that she got to hit the small screen with Kevin James again. "I want to say thank you to the amazing cast, crew, producers, and the writers of @kevincanwaitcbs," she wrote in the post, which also included a sweet selfie of herself with James. "For me to get to work with @officialkevinjames again day in and day out was a Godsend. I laughed everyday, and I will miss that the most. You don't always get a second chance at something that meant so much to you and I did, and I am so grateful for it." Perhaps these two will star together again someday soon, creating more magic in primetime.