We love Doug and Carrie’s relationship on The King of Queens. Although they are complete opposites and fight a lot, they seem to be the perfect pair and we can’t help but obsess over them. But in real life, the stars of the show have their own love stories that are worth a deep dive into. Get to know the personal lives of Kevin James, Leah Remini and the rest of The King of Queens cast.
Kevin James and Steffiana de la Cruz
Kevin James met his true love, Steffiana de la Cruz, on a blind date in 2001, before tying the knot in 2004. The couple has welcomed four children over the years: daughter Sienna-Marie in 2005, daughter Shea Joelle in 2007, son Kannon Valentine in 2011 and daughter Sistine Sabella in 2015.
“My wife’s awesome,” James said about his spouse. “I love her so much. We’re an amazing fit. We’ve been together like 20 years.”
Leah Remini and Angelo Pagan
The couple met in 1996 while at a restaurant and nightclub. Remini and Pagan dated for seven years before making it official in 2003 and welcoming daughter Sofia in 2004. In 2013, they publicly left the Church of Scientology, releasing the docu-series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath in 2016.
In August 2024, Remini and Pagan took to Instagram to make a startling announcement: “Well, here we are. After 28 years together and 21 years of marriage, we have decided to file for divorce. This decision came after a lot of thought and care, and as hard as divorce is, we are approaching this with a positive outlook because we know it’s what’s best for us.”
Patton Oswalt and Michelle McNamara
Patton Oswalt, who portrayed Spence on the sitcom, met his first wife, Michelle McNamara, in 2003. The couple tied the knot in 2005 and had their daughter, Alice, in 2009. McNamara, a true crime writer, assisted in capturing the infamous Golden State Killer, even coining his name.
Sadly, McNamara died suddenly in 2016 due to an accidental overdose. She had been working on her book, I’ll Be Gone In the Dark, which was published posthumously and debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Patton Oswalt and Meredith Salenger
Oswalt married his second wife, Meredith Salenger, nearly 18 months after losing his first. The two first connected on social media after Oswalt missed a dinner party they were both supposed to attend at actress Martha Plimpton’s home. The couple wed in November 2017, which was officiated by Plimpton.
“After the darkness, I went through all the ways I had to strengthen myself to try to recognize joy again,” Oswalt said of grieving his first wife. “Meredith was a beacon I had to reach for.”
Salenger shared her love for Oswalt as well, saying, “When I met Patton and Alice, it just felt so, so right. I never thought I’d get married, but then I fell madly in love.”
Oswalt and Salenger have now been married for nearly seven years.
Gary Valentine and Jackyline Knipfing
Valentine has been married to his wife Jackyline since 1993. They don’t have any children together and there is not much information available about them as they are a private couple.
Merrin Dungey and Matthew Drake
The King of Queens’ Kelly wed Matthew Drake in 2007 in a Cancun wedding. The couple welcomed two daughters together, born in 2008 and 2011. Dungey and Drake ended up separating in 2018 and divorcing in 2021.
Merrin Dungey and Kevin Ryder
Dungey began dating her now-husband, Kevin Ryder, in 2021 and announced their engagement in 2023 on Instagram. Dunger shared a photo of her engagement ring, writing, “Looks like we’re gonna Ryder die.” The couple tied the knot on December 31, 2023.
Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara
Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara first met in 1953 while in a casting agent’s office. Just a few months later in 1954, Stiller and Meara were married. The couple had two children together: Amy in 1961 and Ben in 1965. The couple was a comedy duo and raised comedians and actors for children.
“They connected and fell in love and were married for 62 years,” Ben Stiller said of his parents. “They just had a beautiful relationship.
Sadly, Anne passed in 2015 while Jerry passed in 2020.
