Leah Remini is one of the most recognizable and well-loved small screen stars in the business, thanks largely to her long tenure as a sitcom spouse on "The King of Queens." She made headlines of a different sort in 2013 when she left the Church of Scientology and became one of its most vocal critics. Meanwhile, Remini has stayed plenty busy, acting in movies like "Second Act" with Jennifer Lopez and co-hosting "The Talk." In 2017, she returned to the sitcom world in "Kevin Can Wait," once again joining forces with her "King of Queens" co-star Kevin James. So why does she love to work with James so much? Here's the truth about Leah Remini and Kevin James' relationship.
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00:00Actors Leah Remini and Kevin James have both enjoyed long and successful careers in Hollywood,
00:06spanning over two decades. And for much of that time, the two have worked together
00:10on hit TV shows like The King of Queens. But what's their relationship really like?
00:15Remini has made a name for herself as an actor starring in films like Second Act with her bestie
00:20Jennifer Lopez, but she's now best known for her denunciations of the Church of Scientology.
00:26Since leaving the church, she has written a book, hosted a podcast,
00:30and created a whole TV series about the excesses of the organization.
00:34James, meanwhile, has transitioned to film, appearing in movies like Paul Blart Mall Cop,
00:39Hitch alongside Will Smith, and several comedies with his good friend Adam Sandler.
00:44Above all, though, Remini and James are most recognizable from the sitcom they co-starred in
00:49together, The King of Queens. Ending in 2007 after a nine-season run, the show was a huge
00:55hit with viewers. Here's the good news. Remini and James are good friends, and remain so to this
01:01day. In 2014, Remini told BuzzFeed that they bonded over their fears that The King of Queens
01:06would be canceled, saying,
01:08"[Each time we came out for introductions to the live studio audience, we'd look up and say,
01:14one day we won't be looking at those rafters. We never didn't value what we had with that show,
01:19and it came from the fear that this would all suddenly go away. We were never comfortable
01:23enough to think what we were doing was good."
01:25That bond remained even after the show ended. Remini told People that James was a source of
01:30support when she made the difficult decision to leave Scientology.
01:34He reached out to me and said,
01:36"'I'm so proud of you. If you need anything, I'm here.'"
01:39And not only did the stars' personal relationship continue after their hit sitcom,
01:44their professional one did as well. Several years after the end of their hit series,
01:48The King of Queens, Kevin James and Leah Remini reunited and starred in a second sitcom together,
01:54Kevin Can Wait. After the first season,
01:57James fired his co-star Erin Hayes so he could replace her with Remini. He told CBS News,
02:03"'To have Leah Remini back on is fantastic. It's amazing because we worked together for
02:08nine years and then were offered ten, and to be able to have that opportunity to work
02:12together again is a blessing.'"
02:15"'We were always planning on doing something together. I missed working with her,
02:19and this just seemed like the best opportunity."
02:21Unfortunately, the series didn't replicate the success of The King of Queens and was
02:26canceled in 2018 after two seasons. In her Instagram post about the show's cancellation,
02:32Remini reflected on how she was fortunate to work with James a second time.
02:36"'For me to get to work with Kevin James again day in and day out was a godsend.
02:41I laughed every day, and I will miss that the most. You don't always get a second chance at
02:45something that meant so much to you and I did, and I am so grateful for it.'"
02:50In fact, in her memoir, Troublemaker, Surviving Hollywood and Scientology,
02:55Remini wrote that James is her favorite co-star.
02:58"'I had Kevin who has ruined me for life. He was my first leading man,
03:02and despite doing other shows with other leading men, I've never found anyone who
03:06could compare favorably to him. When I was acting with him, I felt safe.'"
03:11Not only did James make Remini feel comfortable on set, but the actor would routinely ask the
03:16writers to give her the laughs, emphasizing their teamwork instead of focusing on himself as the
03:21star. She wrote,
03:22"'I knew that no matter what the joke or the script was,
03:25Kevin would find a way to make it better. He was gracious, the kind of actor who would often say,
03:30give Leah the joke instead of me, unheard of in a town full of ego-driven males.'"
03:35It's great to know how much these two truly love each other.