'King of Queens' Star Imagines Where His Character Would Be Today
'King of Queens' Star Imagines Where His Character Would Be Today
Victoria MillerSat, February 21, 2026 at 1:43 PM UTC
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(Photo by CBS Photo Archive on Getty Images)
From 1998 to 2007, Patton Oswalt was a regular on The King of Queens. The CBSsitcom starred Kevin Jamesand Leah Remini as working-class New York couple Doug and Carrie Heffernan, with comedy legend Jerry Stiller playing basement-dwelling father-in-law, Arthur Spooner. Oswalt played Spence Olchin, a self-deprecating high school friend of Doug’s who worked in the subway as a token booth operator, where he sold MetroCards after tokens were phased out.
In December 2025, New York City's subway system permanently retired the swipeable cards in favor of OMNY (One Metro New York), a contactless payment system that allows riders to tap their credit card or smart device to pay fares. The described the retirement of the yellow MetroCards as “the end of an era.” In The King of Queens era, it would have also marked a major change for Spence—and his job security.
Speaking with Clutchpoints in February 2026, Oswalt, 57, admitted that Spence probably wouldn’t have liked the change if TheKing of Queens was still on the air.
”He would definitely rail against it,” Oswalt told the outlet. “He would think that this is an era that is ending. But also, knowing Spence, he wouldn’t do a whole lot about it. He would just kind of silently gripe, and then that’d be it.”
‘King of Queens’ fans still recognize Spence
Oswalt, who stars in the new movie GOAT, became a fan favorite when he first appeared on The King of Queens more than 20 years ago. His beloved character still lives on in heavy syndication.
In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Oswalt revealed that he began getting noticed in public around "the fifth or sixth season of King of Queens," when the sitcom really hit its stride.
“Whenever I would go in someplace, people were just like, 'Spence!'" he shared, adding that his newfound fame felt "very, very surreal” at the time.
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“I don't think that I'm like a Tom Hanks, but I'm one of those faces that's like, ‘Oh, I've seen you in things.’” Oswalt noted. “ And listen, that's the exact kind of career I want – that character-actor career. I want the Paul Giamatti career or the Tracy Walter career of like, ‘Oh, there's that guy!’”
Patton Oswalt would join a ‘King of Queens’ reunion
Fans have been begging for a King of Queens reboot for years, but James has said that the death of key cast member Stiller makes the idea unlikely.
But before Stiller’s 2020 death, Oswalt told Entertainment Weekly that he would totally be on board for an onscreen reunion with his KOQ co-stars.
“King of Queens, God, I had so much fun on that show,” he said. “I love doing King of Queens. One, because it got me a house, and this show was where I learned how to act. Basically, I didn't really know how to act until I got to do scenes over and over again with Jerry Stiller and Kevin James and Leah Remini and Victor Williams.”
At the time, Oswalt said he’d love to make a cameo on James’ follow-up sitcom Kevin Can Wait, which added Remini to its second and final season. “Look, if they asked me back on to be on that show too, I would totally do that in a second!” the King of Queens alum said.
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This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
