In the vertiginous world of social networks, few phenomena reach virality with the rapidity and impact of a good meme. In 2025, Kevin James, known for his role as Doug Heffernan in the iconic sitcomThe King of Queens, has become the center of a new frenzy online thanks to the meme “I’m going to be dad.” This phenomenon, which began with a promotional image of James in a clumsy and smiling pose, has been massively adopted on platforms like X, where users have used it to express from paternity ads to comic situations of daily life. But the most recent surprise came when Bella Ramsey, the star ofThe Last of UsHe created a collage on Instagram by combining images of James in the Sitcom with his own interpretation of Ellie, unleashing a wave of laughs and comments. James, far from ignoring the trend, reacted with humor and enthusiasm, consolidating his status as an endearing figure of pop culture.
The meme “I will be dad” has its origin in a photo taken in 1998, during the promotion of the first season ofThe King of Queens. In the image, James appears with a green shirt, smiling timidly with hunched shoulders, a pose that X users have described as “perfectly uncomfortable.” According to an analysis of Know Your Meme, the image resurfaced in 2024 in X, where a user subtitled it with “I will be dad”, generating 12.3 million views in a week. Since then, the meme has adapted to innumerable contexts, from real pregnancies to parodies of everyday situations such as “I will be dad … of a puppy.” The versatility of the image, combined with the genuine expression of James, has made it a perfect canvas for online creativity.
Bella Ramsey, 21, added an unexpected turn to the phenomenon by publishing a collage on Instagram on May 15, 2025. In it, she combined cats of James like Doug Heffernan with images of herself like Ellie inThe Last of Us, creating a humorous parallelism between the clumsiness of James’s character and the intensity of Ellie. The collage, entitled “When Doug and Ellie are in the Multiverse”, accumulated 2.7 million I like 48 hours, according to a base pop report. Ramsey, known for his sense of humor and his connection with fans in networks, accompanied the publication with the comment: “Kevin James is my secret inspiration for Ellie. That Vibe of‘ I don’t know what I am doing, but here I am. ” The publication not only fueled the fury for the meme, but also generated speculation about a possible fictional crossover between the two universes.
Kevin James, 60, reacted to Ramsey’s meme and collage during an interview inThe Tonight ShowOn May 20, 2025. With his characteristic self -deepening humor, James joked: “I didn’t know that my face of‘ I’m going to be dad ’was going to be more famous than me. And now Bella Ramsey makes me Ellie! I think I need a new agent.” He added that he loved Ramsey’s collage and that he was “honored” to be part of the culture of memes, although he confessed not to understand social networks. “My daughter explains X, but I still think it’s Twitter,” he said, starting laughs from the public. His answer, according to Variety, has been applauded by fans, who value their ability to laugh and embrace virality.
The impact of the meme transcends humor. For Ramsey, participating in this trend is a way to connect with your audience after a complicated year. The actress has faced online criticism for her non -binary identity and her role inThe Last of Us, which led her to temporarily deactivate her accounts in April 2025, according to Moviejones. His collage ofThe King of QueensIt was a wink to his resilience, showing that he can laugh while facing scrutiny. For his part, James has seen a resurgence of interest in his work. The SITCOM, which was issued from 1998 to 2007, has won new streaming spectators, with a 23% increase in visualizations in Paramount+ since the meme became viral, according to Deadline.
The connection between James and Ramsey has also inspired fans to create additionThe Last of Us. In X, a user commented: “Kevin James as a survivor with Bella Ramsey would be the comedy we need.” Meanwhile, Ramsey has expressed his desire to meet James in person, suggesting a possible collaboration in a comic sketch. For now, the meme “I’m going to be a father” and Ramsey’s collage have joined two generations of actors in a moment of pure fun, demonstrating that humor can be a bridge in the digital age.
