Issue date: Dec 12, 1999

L eah ReminI, 28, has found sitcom success as Carrie Heffernan, Kevin James' sassy wife on the CBS hit The King of Queens (Mondays, 8 p.m. ET). But achieving stardom took her a while. (Remember her star turn in the 1989 Who's the Boss? spinoff Living Dolls? We didn't think so.)

Payback time: "Being on a hit show is weird for me. Now I'm cocky. I can tell all the people who wouldn't see me or hire me, like [Murphy Brown creator] Diane English, to kiss [off]."

Quit whining: "I love what I do. I'm sick of actresses complaining about how they're not treated as well as the men. Stop going on David Letterman and showing your [body]. Maybe then we'll be treated equally."

Cast karma: "I love working with Kevin James. He always teases me. His first show is a hit off the bat, that bastard. [Laughs.] He doesn't let me forget that. And I love that Jerry Stiller [who plays Remini's dad] has no idea how funny he is. He really has no clue."

Mother knows best: "My mom watches everything I do. And she criticizes me. [Laughs.] I do a talk show and she calls up. Does she say, 'You were good or funny'? No. She says, 'Leah, you said 'my sister and me.' It's 'my sister and I.' You sound illiterate.' Thanks, Mom."

Struck by an Angel: "I couldn't get enough of Charlie's Angels growing up. And I had to be Kelly [Jaclyn Smith] whenever we pretended as kids. I saw Jaclyn Smith at a restaurant recently. She's still perfect looking. And she wasn't wearing makeup. How can she be that beautiful after all this time?"