In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content every day. On Saturday our Video Producer Kyle Calise explores the origins and history of the most iconic memes online in his “Meme History” column. If you want to read columns like this a day before everyone else, subscribe to web_crawlr to get your daily scoop of internet culture delivered straight to your inbox.
Usually when you see someone shrugging it’s a sign of their acceptance, and lack of enthusiasm. Try telling that to Kevin James.
Kevin James meme origins
On New Year’s Day, 1998, a promotional photo of Kevin James taken by photographer Tony Esparaza for CBS’s The King of Queens, was published to Getty Images. A generation later, it was one of a few goofy King of Queens photos circulating the internet.
One in particular had been posted as far back as 2020 by memer and fan Andrew Champagne, but his original attempt at getting it famous in 2020 didn’t take off. On September 21st 2023 he tried again, this time with the accompanying caption, “me after 1 double rum and diet.”
It got 2 million views and 24,000 likes in just three days.
The spread of ‘Kevin James shrugging’
“Kevin James Shrugging” very quickly spread over X and Instagram in the next few days, overnight becoming an emblem of mischievous, shyly self-accepting, sheepishness in whatever situation you happen to find the funniest.
On September 26th, five days after the viral X post, James’ King of Queens costar Leah Remini posted on X saying how much she loved them. And Ben Stiller, son of Jerry Stiller, another co-star expressed love as well.
But for his part, Andy Champagne said he was originally attracted to this photo specifically, not out of some nostalgic love of the sitcom, but because he couldn’t stop wondering what the photographer had said to James at the moment the photo was taken.
We all got an answer the following January.
In an appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s show, which began with a cold-open sketch wherein the two recreated the meme, James recalled that it was one in a number of photos taken that day.
True to the spirit of the meme itself, he appeared a little embarrassed by its popularity. It was early days for the show, and he was just happy to be there.
He told Fallon, “I got into this position where I said please bury that one, and [the photographer] said yeah no worries—that won’t come back.”
So much for that.
John Fetterman
For such a silly little meme, it’s rare for something like it to take off this rapidly. But perhaps the most famous use-case of all, has to do not with anyone from Hollywood, but from the halls of Congress.
Back in September, at the same time as this meme’s meteoric rise, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y), the Senate majority leader, was dealing with—of all things—dress code issues on the floor of the United States Senate.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.), recently elected to represent the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, had come under scrutiny from other senators—mainly Republicans—for disrespecting the institution with his famously casual dress.
When Schumer reinstated the Senate Dress Code requiring senators to wear business attire, this is how he responded.
James’ opening line in the Jimmy Fallon sketch was, “Yeah, I can’t stop doing it!” The fact that he’s expressing a mild amount of despair there is funny because it seems like it’s how he actually feels.
But like it or not, the genie is out of the bottle on this one, and honestly, we can’t stop doing it either.
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