Leah Remini is reflecting on her biggest role to date on The King of Queens, which ran for nine seasons from 1998 through 2007. However, Remini, who starred alongside Kevin James on the CBS sitcom, didn’t think it would be nearly the hit it turned out to be. In fact, she was actively bracing herself for its cancellation.
The 55-year-old shared a throwback clip from The Howard Stern Show on Instagram over the weekend in which she discussed the long running series.
When she booked The King of Queens, Remini had been a working actress for a decade, having booked small roles on shows such as Who’s the Boss?, Cheers, and Saved by the Bell, in addition to several starring roles in series that were canceled after one season or less.
“When you get your show, which is what King of Queens was for me, that was my part, that was my show. I was meant to have that part,” Remini said, reflecting on having auditioned for the role of Monica on Friends. “Then you can look back and go, ‘That wasn’t meant to be.’ But in the moment, you can’t pay your rent and your car’s getting repossessed, you’re not happy about it.”
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“I was like, ‘I’m probably going to get canceled because it’s too normal for people,’” she continued, noting that she had gotten her heart broken before. “I’d usually decorate everybody’s room like the first day. And I was like, I’m not even putting a candle here. Not because I didn’t think it was good, I thought it was great. I was like, it’s so good it probably won’t make it.”
“Because show’s are looking to do different things, and this is a show about a family,” she added.
Remimi elaborated in the caption of her Instagram post, reiterating that she didn’t think the series was going to be a big hit.
“Not because I didn’t love Kevin James or think he was great—we had instant chemistry,” she wrote. “And not because I didn’t think the writers were great; they were amazing.”
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“But by 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,” she explained. “So I had become cynical and just assumed it wouldn’t work out. It’s been 27 years since The King of Queens premiered, and it’s still one of the top-rated shows in syndication. We are so grateful for all of you.”
The King of Queens premiered on Sept. 21, 1998 and as Remini says, still continues to be a hit with old and new fans to this day.
