Kevin James was a star in stand-up comedy before appearing on television. His career took off after he appeared on Star Search, leading him to appear as a guest on shows such as The Tonight Show.

James went on to do "Sweat the Small Stuff", an hour-long standup comedy special that is now re-aired on Comedy Central.

In 1998, James was cast as the lead character on The King of Queens where he plays "Doug Hefferman. In 2005, he co-starred with Will Smith in the romantic comedy Hitch.

Kevin James is number 89 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest stand-ups of all time.