Leah Remini and Kevin James have one of the most illustrious friendships in Hollywood. Remini and James’ paths first intersected on the set of The King of Queens, where they portrayed married couple Carrie and Doug Heffernan. Nine years of working together cultivated an unbreakable bond between Remini and James and, despite their frequent petty squabbling, the two remained close friends long after the show closed its final chapter in 2007.
Given their profound bond, Kevin and Leah have undoubtedly discussed extremely sensitive issues over the years. Nonetheless, Leah Remini never broached the topic of religion with Kevin James. Here’s why the Kevin can Wait star avoided having this particular conversation with her co-star and close friend.
Leah Remini And Kevin James Have Been Friends For Ages
Leah Remini and Kevin James’ friendship has grown tremendously since the two met on the set of The King of Queens. Despite their ups and downs, the two have had nothing but good things to say about each other over the years. Remini gushes about working with Kevin James on The King of Queens in her memoir, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology. "[Kevin James] was my first leading man,” she writes. “Despite doing other shows with other leading men, I've never found anyone who could compare favorably to him.”
In fact, Remini’s close relationship was James was one of the reasons she decided to join the Kevin can Wait cast in 2018. "It could've been next year, 10 years from now. It could've been 10 years earlier. I would've taken any opportunity to work with Kevin again," Remini told New York Daily News. "I've worked with other leading men after Kevin, but there's something very special that you just can't kind of explain when something works with somebody."
Similarly, Kevin James has been incredibly vocal about the deep affection he feels for Remini. The 52-year-old commented on this unique bond in an interview with CBSN saying, "We're friends, and we're family. Literally, we feel like we've known each other forever, and I've always felt that way from our first meeting together. I've always felt like we get each other that way, and it's always worked out really well."
Why Leah Remini Refused To Discuss Her Religion With Kevin James
During her time on The King of Queens, Leah Remini was a devout member of a certain religious organization. In a 2017 interview with People, Remini disclosed that although the church persistently pressured her to recruit her close friends, she never broached the topic with James. “They always tried to get me to, [asking,] 'Why is he not in? Why have you not promoted it to him?' I was like, 'Because he's Catholic. What don't you understand about that?'”
The former Dancing with the Stars contestant also divulged that, despite never discussing her religion with James, she knew he didn’t want anything to do with it. “[The church officials said] 'Yeah, but if you get him in, you've gotta find what's ruining his life.' I go, 'There's nothing ruining his life. He's very happy. I know that's very hard for everybody to understand here, but he doesn't want anything to do with it.'"
Although the church officials eventually relinquished the idea of having James join their ranks, they continued to pressure Remini to recruit more of her friends. “They let it go after a while,” Remini confessed. “But usually you’d be expected to recruit, especially with somebody you work with for nine years.”
How Did Kevin James Feel About Leah Remini’s Religious Beliefs?
Despite subscribing to a different faith, Kevin James remained respectful of Leah Remini’s religious beliefs. Surprisingly, the Grown Ups star never attempted to persuade Leah Remini to abandon her former church. In 2016, Remini disclosed to The Hollywood Reporter, “Kevin was always very respectful of my beliefs, and he said just the opposite. People would ask him, ‘Oh my God, is she trying to get you into that crazy cult?’ And he’d say, ‘No. She’s not like the rest of them.’”
Although Remini later reconnected with Catholicism, this decision had nothing whatsoever to do with Kevin James. The mother of one shared her reasons for embracing Catholicism in an interview with People. “Nobody is asking me for money. Nobody is demanding that I come... I light a candle. I sit and I listen," she explained. “Sometimes I don’t do anything. To me, it’s what religion is supposed to be: a beautiful thing.”
Kevin James was also incredibly supportive of Leah Remini’s decision to exit the church and become one of its most vehement critics. According to Remini, Kevin James offered her some much-needed encouragement and support at the time. "He reached out to me and said, 'I'm so proud of you; if you need anything, I'm here.'"