James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke is a fan-favourite segment on The Late Late Show. But did you know the presenter doesn’t actually drive the car?
If you’re somehow unaware of how the format works: Corden picks up a random high-profile celebrity (because they need to get to work or some elaborate tale), and they sing and dance during the whole interminable journey.
However, while it would appear that Corden is the one behind the wheel, a Twitter exposé has unveiled the car, is, in fact, being towed by – shock! – another vehicle.
Twitter user @zolihonig posted the footage to social media, writing in the tweet: ‘Saw James Corden and Justin Bieber filming Carpool Karaoke and this is why I have trust issues – he isn’t even driving! Next thing you know they gonna tell us that his friends don’t *actually* need a ride.’
People are clearly shocked at the revelation, with the original tweet racking up more than 201,000 likes and 61,000 retweets.
It should be 𝘾𝘼𝙍𝙋𝙐𝙇𝙇 𝙆𝘼𝙍𝘼𝙊𝙆𝙀
— SᴜᴇAɴɴᴀJᴏᴇ 📨 𝚂.𝙼.𝚂 (@sueannajoe_) January 23, 2020
One shocked fan replied: ‘All along I used to respect James Corden for being able to concentrate on driving and singing at the same time: but now I feel betrayed. So even the Amigos, Mariah Carey, Michelle Obama and the rest was just a lie.’
Another user wrote: ‘I always wondering how safe it is, how the police didn’t pull them over, I thought they had police cars to guard them in front and back and some un-busy street to do the shoot. I never thought that they pull the car. [sic]’
IAlways wondering how safe it is, how did the police didn't pull them over, i thought they had police cars to guard them in front and back and some unbusy street to do the shoot. I never thought that they pull the car.
— Kemanamana (@kemanamana) January 23, 2020
Safety first! That way they can do this: pic.twitter.com/VYuzMWuIox
— Gaby (@opssbored) January 23, 2020
However, some keen viewers have noted that this is a fairly new decision from the production team – in the past, people on the street have seen Corden actually driving the celebrities around, from Katy Perry to One Direction, for example.
One Direction's was real. Here's the proof:pic.twitter.com/T3cX3bMdGj
— georgia⁷ (@7BTSaf) January 23, 2020
The car being towed makes a lot of sense – think back to Gavin and Stacey. In the behind-the-scenes supplementary programme for the Christmas special, Corden’s car is essentially being towed, in order to not jeopardise the safety of the actor or anyone else on the road.
For some viewers, it’s always been clear that Corden wasn’t actually driving the car. One user tweeted: ‘It’s kinda obvious tho if u pay attention to it. That was good for them, safety first!’
Lol this is how most of these shots are done 😂
— YT:AJSReactions (@Ajsreaction) January 23, 2020
Another wrote: ‘I knew it. It is a tad bit impossible for a Brit to drive on US roads while singing on top of his lungs!’
There you have it, another TV trick debunked. What are you going to tell me next, that the kids who failed the challenges in Raven didn’t actually die?
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.