Why are there memes everywhere starring Kevin James, in a photo that -- per my colleague, Mitchell Northam -- is from publicity shots for King of Queens all the way back in 1998?

— Al Shipley (@alshipley) September 25, 2023 The meme 's rapid spread comes on the heels of the 25 th anniversary of The King of Queens ' first episode on Sept. 21. "25 years ago today, we aired.

Several different photos of James have been making the rounds on X over the past few days, many of them promotional shots for his turn-of-the-millennium sitcom The King of Queens.

Kevin James Responded to the Memes About His 'King of Queens' Photos in the Best Way The memes have been blowing up on social media. Chris Malone Méndez Sep 27, 2023 4:41 PM EDT ...

Leah Remini Says Seeing TV Hubby Kevin James in 'King of Queens' Meme Resurfaced '25 Years of Amazing Memories' The stars of the beloved CBS sitcom celebrated the show's 25th anniversary last week ...

Kevin James Memes Are Taking Over and These Are Some of Our Favorites 'The King of Queens' celebrated its 25th anniversary on Sept. 21. tara mahadevan September 25, 2023 Monica Schipper / FilmMagic ...

A photo of Kevin James taken during a promotional photoshoot for "The King of Queens," a sitcom he starred in for nearly a decade, has become a favorite meme.

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 27, 2023 King James eventually grew an empire online as the memes expanded to the rest of the King of Queens stock-photo cinematic universe.