I will begin by telling you I am a massive Barbra Streisand fan and a massive James Corden fan so when the two came together for Karpool Karaoke in the US I was tuning in. It was November 1st 2018 when it first aired. Gosh almost 8 years ago and it’s one of those magic 15 minutes of TV you can watch over and over, at least I can.
I don’t spend a lot of time on You tube but when I do go on there I do find myself a little bit addicted to binge watching carpool Karaoke James Cordon’s Saturday Night Late Show segment where he gets big name celebrities to drive around, LA, New York and Las Vegas where I just caught the hilarious Celine Dion join him on her one day off a year.
It is a very poignant and touching story of how Karpool Karaoke came about and became a massive thing. James Smithy in Gavin and Stacey asked his hero George Michael to take part in a sketch, the first Carpool Karaoke for Comic Relief, the idea was Smithy had to save Comic Relief and they would sing together in the car.
When he began working as host of the late show, he tried to get big US names to do Karpool Kareoke with him and no one would, they sent the video of George Michael out doing this for Comic Relief and Mariah Carey was the first star to say yes, saying if it’s good enough for George Michael, it’s good enough for me and so Karpool Karaoke got it’s start in America, showing even big stars like James Cordon, big hosts of TV shows have their struggles, rejections and how important persistence and self belief is in what you are doing.
Celine was so funny I found myself howling with laughter. James Corden too seemed like he wasn’t running the show as her hamming things up better than him caught him a little of guard and made the skit even funnier.
The Final Carpool Karaoke with Adele (Aired April 26, 2023) James’s Final Late Late Show Episode: April 27, 2023
Some of his Other Notable Specials/Guests:
* Jennifer Lopez: March 29, 2016
* Katy Perry: May 22, 2017
* Christina Aguilera: April 23, 2018
* Celine Dion: May 20, 2019 a must watch, very, very funny.
* Paul McCartney: June 21, 2018 (Special)
Carpool Karaoke definitely became a staple segment during Corden's eight-year tenure, often airing as primetime specials and I absolutely loved it.
The final show, "The Last Last Late Late Show," aired on April 27, 2023. Key Carpool specials ran periodically between 2016–2023.
And then in 2023 despite his popularity James Cordon decided to call it a day after being offered a “substantial contract” to stay. He said his son had asked him about working so much and he said publically he wanted to spend more time with his children as this time was precious and limited.
James Cordon hosted 35 guests over his eight year tenure on the Late Show the final episode featuring Adele. The Apple TV spin off has aired over 75 episodes featuring 200 stars. For me as a James Cordon fan without Cordon whilst still good they are just not so funny.
If you have a bit of time to kill and are sick of scrolling definitely watch the Celine Dion, Ariana Grande and Madonna Carpool Karaoke, celine dion is the funniest ever. You might find yourself just watching and re watching whenever you need a good laugh.
So many big stars and wonderful watches. I haven’t watched all of them but the most memorable, funny and truly iconic for me is Barbra Streisand. With a conversation that covers calling Steve Jobs when she had problems with her computer, retaking her driving test, James gets a great gag in about what a good way to go, being killed by Barbra Streisand and speaking to Tim Cooke to get Siri to pronounce her name correctly.
The segment opens with Memories, chill bumps truly as Barbra just sits back and lets James sing the first verse, pretty she says before joining in, yep it’s a moment and ending with rain on my parade.
A few of the comments mention singing Rain on my Parade with Barbra Streisand and how many people get to do that. James talks about being a fan to which Barbra replies “really?”
These sketches segments created by James Corden and producer Gabe Turner are now widely regarded as a you tube sensation the most successful viral content format in Late Night television history.
It really is magnificent TV. Very very funny and shows how truly talented and well loved James Corden is around the world for a guy from High Wickham.