The King Of Queens: Where Is The Cast Today?

In 1998, the CBS sitcom "The King of Queens" aired its first episode, starring a virtually unknown Kevin James alongside television star Leah Remini. James had notoriety from his standup comedy that he took from clubs to TV, appearing on talk shows like "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "The Late Show with David Letterman." Remini had guest spots in a couple dozen shows like "Saved by the Bell," "Blossom," and "Friends."

On the surface, the show appeared to be another sitcom with a middle-class, oddly paired couple — her traditionally beautiful and him, well, not so much. Doug and Carrie Heffernan hit another trope with their constant bickering and hilarious put-downs. Added into the mix was another veteran actor, Jerry Stiller, who played Carrie's father. Arthur not only provided antagonism and frustration for the couple, especially Doug, but Stiller appeared in every episode of the show.

But the half-hour sitcom didn't hit as other shows of its time, like "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Will & Grace," and "Friends." There was also a sad tone to the final season as Doug and Carrie struggled with having a baby and being separated. Of course the writers ultimately gave Doug and Carrie — and the viewers — a happily-ever-after. Still, there were likely some very disappointed fans. For the actors, though, it might have been the right move. Kevin James, began starring in big movies before the show ended, and many of its regulars made a nice pile of cash. So, let's see what they're up to now.

Most people know Leah Remini these days as the former scientologist on a crusade against the organized religion. But for nine seasons starting in 1998, she played Carrie Heffernan, the New York–accented, sarcastic, and hard-edged wife of Doug. When "The King of Queens" ended in 2007, Remini did a few guest spots on television shows before nabbing a regular role on the short-lived "Family Tools" in 2013 and "The Exes" in 2014. She joined "Kevin Can Wait" at the end of Season 1; unfortunately, reuniting her with James couldn't save the show.

Remini released her book, "Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientolog," in 2015 and followed that up with a three-season docuseries and a podcast. Discussing her passion and dedication to spreading the word about Scientology, Remini told Chelsea Handler, "You have to be willing to do the right thing ... just because it's the right thing to do."

Remini has become a popular choice as a guest host on shows like "The Talk" and "The Wendy Williams Show," as well as a guest judge on "Dancing with the Stars." She's also garnered quite the following on TikTok, where she and JLo (whom she starred with in 2018's "Second Act") pop up in each other's videos from time to time, sharing some of their "bestie" moments.

Kelly Palmer, played by Merrin Dungey, might not have had as much screen time as her husband, Deacon, but for Dungey herself there was no shortage of roles both before and during "The King of Queens." She'd already appeared on shows like "ER," "Murphy Brown," and "Seinfeld." And during her nine seasons on the show, she continued to snag other jobs, including a recurring role in "Alias" and a top spot in "Summerland." Dungey also earned a coveted role in the pilot "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff "Private Practice" in 2007. Unfortunately, she was replaced by Audra McDonald, who held the role for all six seasons. According to Variety the switch was due to issues with the chemistry between Taye Diggs and Dungey.

Dungey bounced back and continued to be in demand — case in point, what the actor called "the most exciting thing" in 2014, playing Ursula in the series "Once Upon a Time." She told Red Carpet News TV, "When somebody calls and asks you to do something like this, you, you know, thank your lucky stars." Another big score was landing a role as a detective in the hit series "Big Little Lies," which starred some series Hollywood hitters like Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman. Merrin is currently divorced from her spouse, whom she married in 2007 and the pair share two children.

Gary Valentine, who plays Danny Heffernan, Doug's cousin in "The King of Queens," is actually Kevin James's older brother in real life and yet another stand-up comic to grace the show's cast. He also spends part of the show as Spence's roommate and eventually lands a job, with Doug's help, at Doug's company, IPS. One look at the actor's IMDB page, and it's obvious the Knipfing (their given name) brothers like to work together. 

From the time "The King of Queens" ended in 2007 until 2022, Valentine appeared in half a dozen movies that Kevin James also starred in, including both "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" movies, "Zookeeper," and "Here Comes the Boom." He also appeared in all 48 episodes of James's "Kevin Can Wait" series. In 2021, Valentine reunited with some of his "The King of Queens" cast members for a virtual table read in honor of Jerry Stiller, who passed away in 2020.

Beyond the limitations of the pandemic, Valentine continued his long-standing career in stand-up comedy. And he can thank his mother for that since she was the one who signed him up for his first open-mic night at a comedy club in Long Island. "Mom's intuition, you know, I guess she knew I had something in me that I could do this ... I was like hooked from the beginning," he said in an interview with Dr. Richard Schlofmitz. Another coup for the actor/comic is his almost 30-year marriage to Jackyline Knipfing.

Bodybuilder/actor Lou Ferrigno is best known for his larger-than-life character on the television series, "The Incredible Hulk," which was also his debut as an actor. After 20-plus years and about a dozen other roles, he joined the cast of "The King of Queens" in Season 3 (playing himself) as a neighbor of Doug and Carrie. Carla Ferrigno, Lou's wife in real-life, also appeared in four episodes as Lou's wife on the show. Carla and Lou are still married as of 2022 and celebrated 40 years of marriage in 2020, a rare thing anytime, let alone in Hollywood.

Since appearing in "The King of Queens," Ferrigno has acquired roles in television and film, playing characters and as himself. His most recent project is a recurring role in 2022's "The Offer," a miniseries that chronicles the making of the 1972 film "The Godfather."

In 2021, after roughly six decades being hearing impaired, Ferrigno opted to get the cochlear implant surgery and shared the emotional moment with Inside Edition. He shared that he'd lost 85% of his hearing due to a series of ear infections as a child. "I'm just emotional because I can hear again," he said, swiping at his eye. On top of that, at 71 years old, the man is still in great shape and proud of it, as evidenced by the "abs" selfie he posted on his Instagram.

Actor Sam McMurray was already a twenty-year acting veteran by the time he was cast as Doug's boss at IPS in "The King of Queens" starting in Season 3. He'd appeared in dozens of iconic tv shows of the '70s, '80s, and '90s, such as "Kojak," "The Jeffersons," "Hill Street Blues," and "Chicago Hope." McMurray's character, Supervisor Patrick O'Boyle, was divorced and a recovering alcoholic. Coincidentally, McMurray portrayed a similar character on "Friends" as Chandler's boss. The actor has also played a doctor on several occasions in "Breaking Bad" and "The Sopranos." And an interesting bit of trivia about the actor is that he was the first ever male guest star on the animated series "The Simpsons."

After the show ended, he continued to garner role after role. In 2014-2015, he was cast as a regular in "Cristela," starring Cristela Alonzo. The long-time actor spoke with Eugene Horan in 2022 about his prolific career in entertainment. When Horan asked him specifically about the two roles in "Friends" and "The King of Queens," and whether that type of humor was similar to his own, he responded, "I think that's the closest to me in a sense. Not so much the Doug character, but more for Patrick from 'The King of Queens...'" It's clear as McMurray reminisced, that he has wonderful memories of his work and the fellow actors he worked with over the years. Of all of his co-stars, he shared that Lily Tomlin was "maybe the nicest person on the planet."

Known for his deep voice, actor Victor Raider-Wexler has played a lawyer, doctor, judge, or someone's boss for more than four decades. Between 2001 and 2007, Raider-Wexler played two different characters in "The King of Queens," but both of them were Carrie's bosses: Mr. Kaplan at her first job as a secretary and Mr. Kaufman at her second job as a paralegal.

During the show and after, the actor continued to grab roles on television shows, TV movies, of course, voice work, and even some big-screen films, like 2002's "Minority Report" with Tom Cruise and 2006's "The Pursuit of Happiness" with Will Smith. From 2016-2020, he voiced characters in several shows, including "The Boss Baby: Back in Business."

Anyone in the '90s probably thinks of one thing when they see Raider-Wexler — the hilarious Junior Mints scene in "Seinfeld." Raider-Wexler plays a doctor about to close up a patient when Jerry and Kramer accidentally drop a Junior Mint below and into the patient. In 2020, he told the "This Podcast is Making Me Thirsty Seinfeld Podcast" that his appearances on Seinfeld helped him get other jobs. "If you're on a hit show, that makes you a more important person," he said. "Seinfeld became a hit show, so I became more easily castable."