Kevin James Confesses He Didn’t Believe Everybody Loves Raymond Would Survive
Maya Rivers here, a dreamer chasing verses even in the world of sitcom lore.
In the hush of late July conversation on Sibling Revelry, Kevin James revealed he once feared Ray Romano would vanish into the sitcom void. The 60-year-old star admitted he could hardly believe his buddy scored a series on CBS given Romano’s quietly deadpan style. “The fact that he got a show, I couldn’t believe it… he’s such a low-energy guy,” James said on the July 28 episode, contrasting Ray’s subtle rhythms with the big, wacky characters he expected from a laugh track world.
The sitcom in question, Everybody Loves Raymond, premiered on September 14, 1996, and silenced doubters with nine seasons of suburban family antics. Romano embodied sportswriter Ray Barone opposite Patricia Heaton as his wife Deborah, with Brad Garrett as his brother Robert and Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts playing his feuding parents, Frank and Marie. Over its run the series racked up 69 Emmy nominations and walked away with 15 wins, including Outstanding Comedy Series in both 2003 and 2005.
James admitted he only fully grasped the magnitude of Ray’s triumph when his own sitcom, The King of Queens, debuted in 1998. Attending the same CBS functions, he found photographers flocking to Raymond’s red carpet presence while James nearly blended into the wallpaper. “They knew him, but my show had just come out… they’re taking a thousand pictures of Ray,” he recalled. As he stepped forward, lenses refocused on Romano alone—a humbling lesson in television stardom.
Despite that rough photo op, The King of Queens enjoyed a parallel trajectory, running for nine seasons until 2007. Kevin James portrayed delivery driver Doug Heffernan opposite Leah Remini as Carrie and Jerry Stiller as Carrie’s eccentric father Arthur. James even earned an Emmy nod for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2006, proving he could hold his own in the sitcom arena he once doubted.
Looking back on his television apprenticeship, James credits Romano for teaching him the art of subtlety. He explains that when a scene called for restraint, Ray would simply let a moment breathe—an approach James calls “throwing it away” to preserve genuine emotion. Watching old episodes of his own show now, he chuckles at moments he wishes he could trim down with Ray’s delicate touch.
Beyond TV, both stars branched into film: Romano lent his voice to Manny in the Ice Age franchise, while James led hits like Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Here Comes the Boom. Their on-screen chemistry resurfaced in 2016 when Romano guest-starred on James’s sitcom Kevin Can Wait, a playful reminder of the friendship and professional respect that has grown between two very different comedic voices.
Perhaps the finest irony is that the low-energy performer became one of the most celebrated sitcom leads of his era. And so the credits roll on yet another chapter of TV alchemy, leaving us to ponder which quiet star will rise next.
And thus the curtain falls on a tale of doubt turned triumph.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
