James Corden's most memorable moments on The Late Late Show, for better or worse

If there’s one thing The Late Late Show With James Corden will be remembered for, it’s Carpool Karaoke. Somehow the simple premise of singing an artist’s own hits with them while driving around was so successful that it spun off into its own series. Within the show, Corden had noteworthy drives with all kinds of stars, from Paul McCartney to Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas, to Adele, to Britney Spears, to Lady Gaga, and many more. But perhaps the most memorable of all is the very first edition with Mariah Carey, who graciously lent her considerable star power to helping Corden get his new show off the ground. Even the host knew that the success of the segment was in part due to the power of his guest, telling Carey during his , “We owe you so much for saying yes and taking a chance on us. We do. We really, really do and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” [Mary Kate Carr]

Believe it or not, there were a lot of Crosswalk Musicals over the years that went by relatively unremarked upon before Cinderella. (Update: Drew Gillis, A.V. Club news editor, thought the Cinderella edition was a singular act of terror upon Los Angeles.) Many silly costumes had been donned, and many afternoons of traffic had been halted, for Corden and his guests to sing showtunes. But it was Cinderella’s Crosswalk Musical that set the Internet aflame, maybe because the film was already the subject of skepticism; maybe because of Corden in the oversized mouse costume; maybe because Jennifer Lopez’s “Let’s Get Loud” has unparalleled meme-ability. The bit was apparently such a lightning rod that the clip was removed from YouTube, but you can still find shots from the perspective from the unwilling and unenthusiastic audience, trapped within their cars, unaware they’re witnessing a seminal moment in Late Late Show and Internet history. [Mary Kate Carr]

Corden’s long-standing friendship with One Direction came into play many times when he took over the reins of The Late Late Show, documenting some of the most memorable moments of the band’s final press tour. There was the (which gave us the only semblance of a “No Control” music video), a fun bit , and then there’s Tattoo Roulette, which even Corden himself called “probably the craziest game we’ve ever had on our show.” The tension in the room was palpable, particularly when it came down to Harry Styles (heavily tattooed) and Niall Horan (no tattoos at all, and highly stressed). In the end, it was Styles who got the Late Late logo tattooed on his arm, as iconic a testament to Corden’s run on the show as there ever will be. [Mary Kate Carr]

Following the dissolution of One Direction, all four members remained firm Friends Of The Show. All appeared at one time or another as solo guests; Niall Horan even got a week-long residency to promote his album Heartbreak Weather. But it’s Harry Styles, he of the Late Late tattoo, who became most associated with the show. When Corden had a last-minute absence for the birth of his child, Styles stepped up to host (for the first, but not the last, time). He performed as a musical guest and also took part in a handful of iconic bits (more , ). Perhaps most iconic of all was the production of the “Daylight” music video, in which the two pals crashed the apartment of a group of young women in New York City and made a full-fledged, and honestly pretty good-looking, album visual on a supposedly shoestring budget. The utter charm of the whole situation goes to show why Styles was chosen as the final guest for Corden’s very last episode.

Many of the entries on this list are recurring Late Late Show segments, but let’s not forget that this is a talk show after all. Corden employed a more relaxed style than some of his competitors, inviting all his guests to share a couch and encouraging casual conversation (to whatever degree that’s possible in a highly choreographed and vetted late-night experience). Anne Hathaway threw a wrench into that supposedly casual atmosphere, which is perhaps why her brief joke was so memorable and has gone viral on numerous occasions since. There’s something about Hathaway’s purposeful performance of talk show banter cadence that makes the punchline of her favorite romantic comedy so satisfying, but perhaps most satisfying is the way she stuns Corden (and the other guests and the audience) into momentary silence.

A surprising (or unsurprising?) amount of Corden’s bits had to do with promoting films he was in, like that one Crosswalk Musical or . But possibly the best movie promo was for a non-Corden film, Thor: Ragnarok. Making a surprise appearance at a movie theater, Corden directed the incredibly delightful Marvel stars in a “4D” version of the movie. All the actors—Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo, Jeff Goldblum, and Tessa Thompson—were game for the silliness, and seeing them act out a low-budget version of one of the MCU’s most beloved entries is still fun to this day. [Mary Kate Carr]

Last year, James Corden became embroiled in a bizarre feud with fickle New York City restaurateur Keith McNally. In , McNally labeled Corden “a tiny Cretin of a man” and “the most abusive customer to my Balthazar servers since the restaurant opened 25 years ago.” Other adjectives he used to describe Corden included “diabolical” and “extremely nasty,” and McNally recalled Corden sending an omelet back because there was some egg yolk in it.Within a few days, became so loud that Corden practically had no choice but to address it on his show. Whether or not he actually apologized is up for debate, but it sure was a fun saga for those of us watching at home. [Drew Gillis]

In 2021, James Corden brought pop superstar Ariana Grande and Broadway’s original Tracy Turnblad, Marissa Jaret Winokur, to The Late Late Show to sing a Hairspray-themed parody to celebrate the end of coronavirus lockdowns in Los Angeles. On paper, it sounded like a perfectly fine idea (if you’re into that sort of thing, anyway).But, if there is anything Americans have more varied opinions on than Corden, it’s coronavirus. The innocuous celebratory elements—wearing shoes! Going to the gym!—were promptly ignored in favor of the stuff that seemed designed to piss people off—they’re praising Dr. Fauci and the vaccine! The people praising Dr. Fauci and the vaccine aren’t wearing masks! Credit where it’s due: Corden and his team were brave for willingly tiptoeing into Covid discourse on a large stage, something this writer hopes to never do again. [Drew Gillis]

Another lesser-appreciated Late Late Show vehicle segment was when he’d take guests around Los Angeles in a double-decker bus. The idea was a reversal of the typical Hollywood sightseeing excursion where tourists would be hunting down celebrities, except this time the tourists were the celebrities. This concept works well with pure Hollywood fodder like a group world’s biggest stars (the , for instance), and doesn’t connect quite the same when the guest is one single member of the British royal family. Nevertheless, Prince Harry’s appearance was must-see TV if you were following his tell-all press tour. Corden’s show was one of the wayward royal’s first television appearances after the bombshell Oprah interview, and he continued to dish about things like whether or not he had watched The Crown. All in all, it was a big get for the English expat host. [Mary Kate Carr]

Yes, “Spill Your Guts” is an iconic James Corden segment—the exaggerated laughs, the rare exciting reveals, the scrunched up faces of disgust over bird saliva or bull penis. But it’s also one of the most infuriating because the host almost never ingests the food he presented. . While he remains annoying as hell, at least the guests always made it fun, like or the . However, “Spill Your Guts” with Kim Kardashian is impressive because of her refreshing honesty, and because she manages to get Corden to bite into a scorpion. As a bonus: . [Saloni Gajjar]