Kevin Jamesknows he’s the king of memes.
The actor appeared on Tuesday’s episode ofThe Tonight ShowStarringJimmy Fallon, during which the host, 49, said he’d be remiss not to ask James, 58, how he reacted to an old photo from his time onThe King of Queenscirculating the internet and becoming a meme.
As Fallon said he “had to talk to him” about the viral moment, the comedian simply shook his head and cracked a smile once the photo appeared and the audience started cheering.
The Emmy winner admitted that he did remember posing for the shot when it was taken during the early days of the series, which ran from 1998 to 2007. “When you first get a sitcom, you just listen to anybody. You’re just so happy to be there,” James said.
Kevin James and the meme from ‘The King of Queens’ that went viral in 2023.Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images; Tony Esparza/CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images; Tony Esparza/CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
“The photographer, he was just telling me to do goofy things,” he continued, referring to his sheepish smirk and pose with slightly shrugged shoulders and his hands in his pocket in the image. “He was like, ‘Smile. Now like you’re sexy, now like you’re shy, but now you’re kind of …' and I got into this position where I’m like, ‘What the hell am I doing?’”
TheKevin Can Waitstar shared that, even then, he tried to make sure that the photo would never see the light of day. “I said, ‘Well, please bury that one,’ and he goes, ‘Yeah, no worries. That one won’t come back,’” James reflected, prompting Fallon and the crowd to laugh.
He added, “25 years later, the thing pops up.”
Jimmy Fallon and Kevin James on ‘The Tonight Show’.Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images
Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images
The late night host then pulled up a handful of posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) featuring the meme. “When I cook for new people and somebody say, “Damn you made this?!“oneread, while theothersaid, “me when my friend posts a screenshot of our text messages on their story so everyone can see how funny i am.”
James himself laughed, while adding, “It’s so, so dumb.”
The Tonight Showepisode also featured a hilariousskitwith James and Fallon both recreating the pose from the meme.
In the clip, the actor wears a flannel similar to the one in the original image, and it’s as if he’s inexplicably stuck in the pose. Eventually, he’s not the only one replicating the image, as it starts to spread like a meme zombie apocalypse, catching Fallon,Questloveof The Roots and a whole slew of people.
Leah Remini, Jerry Stiller and Kevin James on ‘The King of Queens’.CBS via Getty Images
CBS via Getty Images
The actress, 53, added: “Thank you for 25 years of amazing memories!”
The meme took off online shortly the beloved CBS comedycelebrated its 25th anniversary.
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Upon the milestone anniversary, Remini shared a heartfelt tribute onInstagram, reflecting on the “truly special show” and her love for her costars.
source: people.com
