We’re very excited about the fact that James Corden’s hosting the Late Late Show. But what if Simon Cowell had won the golden ticket instead?! What if Arnold Schwarzenegger hadn’t been on hand to whip Corden into comedy shape? We just don’t know!
British comedian James Corden finally made his Late Late Show debut last night, and opened the show with a star-specked video revealing how he got the gig: by finding a Willy Wonka-style golden ticket, of course!
The video hilariously presented some alternative — and not completely unlikely — candidates for the position, including Simon Cowell, Lena Dunham, Chris Rock, Jay Leno and Eddie Redmayne.
After finding the Golden Ticket, Corden was instructed to report to the “School of Training,” which turned out to be a warehouse containing late-night host turned sensei Jay Leno (who thought Corden was from Tinder), a talkative Allison Janney, and the best personal trainer in the world, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
After being tortured by Leno (and Shia LaBeouf’s boring stories), Corden was finally saved by Meryl Streep, who motivated him with Lady Gaga lyrics. We can’t believe we just wrote that sentence.
Related: James Corden on Late Late Show debut: ‘It will be cancelled in a heartbeat’
So with all that star power behind him, Corden was ready… and here we are. Does Corden have what it takes? In his own words, “probably not.” And in Jay Leno’s words, “in three months, this show will be mine. MUAHAHAHA.”
All in all, it was a great way to open the show! Nothing like a bit (or a lot) of star power to boost the ratings.
Mila Kunis and Tom Hanks were Corden’s first guests, and they were clearly a good choice: both were game for a laugh, of which Corden himself provided many. With his crass humor and easy demeanor, it seems like Corden’s Late Late Night persona will be a mix between Jimmy Kimmel and Graham Norton, and he’s certainly got us interested in watching more.
Check out this clip of Tom Hanks debunking the “manspreading” rumor, and taking a few jabs at the internet at large:
What did you think of The Late Late Show With James Corden?