what would a Doug Heffernan bring to
FedEx well I'd bring myself and my lunch if I don't get Rego Park
no I think I'd uh Hey Castaway whoa it's Sunday morning on CBS and here again
is Jane Pauley in his hit sitcom King of Queens Kevin James played an average Joe who finds the
humor in everyday life which pretty much is Kevin James' own recipe for Success Jim Axelrod
has our Sunday profile so this is where it all starts this is it for Kevin [Music] James
one of our most popular and successf
ul comic actors of the last quarter Century all roads
actually lead to standup I see it I say it I see it I say it it's like a verbal wood chip and
right here on this was the East Side Comedy Club first place I ever did stand up I think I had
a couple Coors Lights uh a couple couple to get the courage up and then uh I went in here
and this was the first place 1989 July 26th 35 years later he has quite a lot to look back on I
love you especially that part delivery man Doug Heffernan made him
famous on King of Queens Mall
Cop Paul Blart made him a bankable star [Applause] do you like this state yeah I've been here many
many times but it's still standup like his new special irregardless on Amazon Prime that makes
him happy you ever try to delete an app you got to do that hard press on the phone first of all
all the apps start shaking I me a crazy Journey right yeah it's amazing and hopefully it's it
still continues oh they know somebody's going when they know this a high school
football star
James went off to play college ball at Cortland State in Upstate New York when a back injury
ended his athletic dreams a public speaking course sparked some new ones when he played it
for Laughs so some light bulb went on for sure that I have this capacity I have this talent I
didn't know what it was but I had something I don't know how bottle it and make money off it
but I never went back to school he went to work honing his style tell you what else annoys me
the size of muf
fins how big are muffins going to get before we all join hands affable and
observational never dirty and always with an eye on the future I just want to lose enough
weight so that my stomach doesn't jiggle when I brush my teeth you don't work blue you don't
you never have no because I knew it was going to prevent me from being able to get on a TV
show I want my ACT to be able to go and play wherever it's like I want to build an act that
people can relate to by the mid-'90s James was big eno
ugh to bag an audition for Saturday Night
Live a chance to follow comedy Legends like John Belushi Bill Murray Eddie Murphy he fell flat
on his face and it was the worst audition I've ever had in my entire life because it was it was
literally me in a room and they were filming and it was absolutely brutal and I just started
doing my standup to no laughs but I just kept going through it which is where you learn all you
need to know about Kevin James living proof that no one fails they just s
topped trying here's what
I don't understand about that story 99 out of 100 people would curl up in the fetal position and
never move again I just bombed a Saturday Night Live audition not you it was the best thing that
happened to me my eyes are getting we losing out on SNL meant he was free to audition and win the
lead in a pilot called The King of Queens what he making fun of my shorts again the BET Kevin James
made on himself when he left College five be the bigger man had paid off just
frustrating you know
he's so well dressed I can't come back at him with anything do you remember the moment of the phone
call where you were thinking my life has changed yeah it's you know well we got a call you know and
it's like we're we're moving on to the next level in less than a decade he'd gone from driving
a forklift while Moonlighting at Long Island comedy clubs hate to starring in a network sitcom
just enjoy it enjoy who you are you know what I'm saying too fast perhaps to comple
tely trust
the success even amidst all of this success you were still cranking in your head this may not
last they're going to find me out eventually well that's my whole career I think my whole career
you know everything every movie you just go they you're going to figure if someone literally
tapped me on the shoulder God just said hey we know what's going on right I'd go yep where do
I go where do I it's all up all right it was a fun run thank you everything hurts last week I woke
up I a
sked my wife I was like hey did I play rugby yesterday she's like no you shook a can of paint
for me and it wasn't even a big can I'm talking the little hogendas size but at 58 married for
20 years Kevin James would now have a hard time making the case that it's not going to last
maybe the only doubters now his four kids do your kids think you're funny they do at times
are your kids [Music] lethargic cuz I I got a slug farm at my house I really they have really
high taste which kind of like
stung me a little bit like they really did they were like we get it
you're falling down in the m cop thing and it's it's good but we're looking for a little bit
more you know I'm like oh all right going to give you my phone number in case you want to
grab a drink sometime I don't drink but I do ride but for all the success he found in Hollywood
this son of Long Island will never stray too far from his roots stand up sitcoms movies I say
you're only allowed to do one for the rest of your ca
reer what's it going to be stand up
it's just me and a mic and and I get to to do it and there's no process through the studio
or the network of saying well we're going to change it this way we're trying to cast this
way and it's like you know I really do enjoy the process and there's going to be times where
this is not going to work out the way you want and you're not going to connect with people
the way you expect you guys are the greatest but you all and there's other times where it's
l
ike yeah you can still do this this is great but the opportunity is there to do it and I'm
I'm I'm grateful for that I'm grateful that I'm year
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