Since James Corden took over as the host of The Late, Late Show on CBS in 2015, following on from fellow Brit Craig Ferguson, he has really made the show his own, with new features including rap battles with celebrities and “Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts” in which guests have to answer truth-style questions about themselves or eat something really bad looking.
Corden, who first made his name in the UK as an actor in the BBC sitcom Gavin and Stacey, also introduced the hugely popular Carpool Karaoke segment onto the show, which features the presenter driving around Hollywood with famous guests in the passenger seat, talking about and even singing the music they love. Carpool Karaoke was so successful that it has become a show in its own right, with guest presenters behind the wheel.
All of the James Corden Carpool Karaoke segments have their moments, but there are some celebrities who seemed to run out of good material after just one short drive, so asking them back for a repeat performance wouldn’t be a good idea. On the other hand, plenty of famous faces really took to the show, and it seemed like they had much more to give.
Check out the lists below of stars that we want to see back in the passenger seat of Carpool Karaoke, and those who have probably had their last drive with James Corden.
19 Never Again - Chris Martin
It probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone to learn that the Carpool Karaoke episode with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin was one of the most boring ever. His band is known for their dreary, middle-of-the-road tunes, and he’s hardly the life and soul of the party, so even James Corden struggled to make something fun and entertaining out of this appearance.
Best for Chris Martin to stick to making music for middle-aged dinner parties, and leave Carpool Karaoke to more energetic guests! The only high point in this segment was seeing Martin do his surprisingly accurate impressions of Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger.
18 Never Again - One Direction
There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with the Carpool Karaoke segment featuring the British boy band, One Direction. Fellow Brit Corden always seems to get the best from his UK guests, thanks perhaps to their shared sense of humor, but this episode was just far too noisy and confusing, as tends to happen when the car is filled with too many people.
The boys spend most of the short segment talking over each other in a bid to be heard, and it was just a rookie mistake to put Niall Horan in the front seat, rather than fans’ favorite Harry Styles…
17 Never Again - Mariah Carey
To be fair to singer and all-around diva Mariah Carey, she did appear on the very first Carpool Karaoke ever made, and so had no idea what she was letting herself in for, or what the clip was going to involve. In many ways, neither did Corden, who settled on a winning formula for the sketch over the course of a few episodes.
Carey and Corden seemed to have trouble developing a rapport, but perhaps The Late Late Show host was feeling nervous, having to interview such a diva, while safely driving her around Los Angeles. While this is one episode that doesn’t stand a repeat viewing, perhaps it would only be fair to give Mimi another chance.
16 Never Again - Iggy Azalea
Australian rapper and singer Iggy Azalea came across as a lovely, sweet and down-to-earth person. Which is great, except when you’re trying to make a TV show which relies on celebrities being larger than life characters if it is going to work. The two enjoyed a perfectly pleasant conversation during their car ride, but to viewers, it felt more like they were watching the morning commute of two co-workers!
You only get a small window of opportunity to make an impression on a segment as short as Carpool Karaoke and Iggy Azalea failed to make any sort of impact at all.
15 Never Again - Shawn Mendes
Given the fact that they both hail from Canada and made their name as teen singers, it is unsurprising that Shawn Mendes often gets branded as the “new Justin Bieber.” However, while Bieber is something of a Carpool Karaoke regular, his chart-topping rival has – so far – only made one appearance in the famous passenger seat.
Like Iggy Azalea, Mendes comes across as a nice young man, but that isn’t what viewers want to see. Even a comedic costume change into a Harry Potter outfit came across as a bit forced and unfunny, while his overpolite Canadian attitude to, well, just about everything made for a pretty boring drive.
14 Never Again - Carrie Underwood
Country singer Carrie Underwood won the fourth series of Idol back in 2005, so she is no stranger to reality TV, and living her life in front of the cameras. Which makes it all the more bewildering why her Carpool Karaoke ended up being such a damp squib. For a start, she and Corden spent very little time actually in the car – always a sign that the producers have struggled to squeeze enough quality material out of their subject – going on a shoe shopping expedition instead.
The only high point (literally) came at the end when Underwood and Corden had a contest to see who could hold a note for the longest time.
13 Never Again - Usher
Similarly, the Carpool Karaoke episode featuring R&B singer Usher also featured a lot of time outside the car – and when you watch the pretty dull chat inside the vehicle you can perhaps understand why. Usher’s clip also features one of the corniest Carpool Karaoke moments, when Corden pulls over on the Hollywood Walk of Fame so that Usher can get out and clean his own star!
There is not nearly enough music in this episode, which is strange considering Usher’s extensive back catalog and comes across as too much like a normal interview which could have been done in the studio.
12 Never Again - Rod Stewart
On paper, Rod Stewart and Carpool Karaoke should have been a match made in heaven. The aging rocker comes from the UK, so should have enjoyed a good rapport with his host, and he has lived through some of the most interesting musical times, so should have had a wealth of amusing and interesting anecdotes about his time in the spotlight.
However, the Maggie May singer just seems uncomfortable with the whole concept from the get-go, only seeming to warm up when rapper A$AP Rocky jumps into the back seat and starts singing along with the Rod Stewart hits.
11 Never Again - Katy Perry
There are some intriguing moments during Katy Perry’s Carpool Karaoke appearance, particularly when she talks about all the so-called feuds she has been engaged in with various other singers, including Taylor Swift, but aside from a few snippets of gossip, this is one episode which just fails to heights viewers have come to expect.
Perhaps Carpool Karaoke is one those phenomena that only works because of James Corden’s bubbly and lively personality, and when someone with a similar personality gets into the front seat of the Carpool car – such as Katy Perry – the chemistry between her and Corden just felt all wrong.
10 Never Again - Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber is actually one of the most entertaining guests who has ever appeared on Carpool Karaoke; he has great showbiz anecdotes, enjoys a relaxed rapport with host James Corden, and to top it all off, he has some killer seat-dancing moves. So why is he on the list of people who we don’t want to see on the segment again?
Well, because Bieber already holds the record for Carpool Karaoke appearances, having made two regular appearances in the passenger seat, as well as a short post-Grammys drive and a slot in the Christmas Carpool special. Bieber may be good value for money, but it’s time to give other celebs a chance!
9 Never Again - Miley Cyrus
Fellow teen pop sensation Miley Cyrus is another celebrity who should have been a perfect fit on Carpool Karaoke, but when it came to her appearance on the show in 2017 it was a lot more understated than you might have expected. That was probably down to the timing of Cyrus’ spot on Carpool Karaoke, which came just as she was promoting an album of slow, romantic ballads, rather than her usual up-tempo pop tunes.
She and Corden may have sung a few of the old favorites, but it was clearly a condition of her appearance that they focused on the new material.
8 Never Again - Lady Gaga
When Lady Gaga took on Carpool Karaoke in 2016, it was one of the longest episodes of the segment ever broadcast on The Late Late Show, coming in at an impressive 15 minutes. Although given the dated material that Corden was using to crack jokes at his guest’s expense, it was probably at least ten minutes too long!
Lady Gaga herself was great fun, teaching Corden how to do vocal warm-ups and even getting behind the wheel herself for a short spell, but it would have been better to learn more about her musical influences than just to hear her own tracks.
7 Never Again - Adam Levine
It was clear from the beginning of the clip that Corden’s Carpool Karaoke ride with Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine wasn’t going to be a rock ‘n’ roll spectacular. The first words that Corden said when his guest got into the car were that they were “just two dads” going for a drive, and that kind of set the tone for the rest of the episode.
Although the two have a good rapport, it says a lot that the undoubted highlight of Levine’s appearance was an unscheduled and unscripted moment when the cops pulled them over – the first and so far only time that has happened on Carpool Karaoke.
6 Never Again - Sam Smith
Singer Sam Smith enjoys a comfortable rapport with his fellow Brit James Corden, with the two of them seemingly sharing a lot of interests from the UK upbringing. However, even the funniest anecdotes can’t hide the fact that Smith’s weepy, emotional ballads make for terrible singalong material, and the musical interludes on the episode actually bring the whole show down, rather than giving it a much-needed boost.
Luckily, girl group Fifth Harmony was on hand to provide a bit of life and soul for this particular party, with Sam Smith genuinely excited to get the chance to duet with the Work From Home singers.
5 Never Again - Christina Aguilera
The Carpool Karaoke appearance by Christina Aguilera was different right from the start. It was a great clip to watch if you happen to be an aspiring singer, with the Genie in a Bottle star giving Corden a few hints and tips on how to improve his performance, as well as giving away a few secrets of her own. It might be great to get a masterclass from a singer as talented as Aguilera, but it doesn’t necessarily make for an entertaining TV show.
Things improve when Melissa McCarthy hopped into the back seat and lightened the mood – and the Ghostbusters actress should definitely get her own Carpool Karaoke slot in the near future!
4 Return - Ariana Grande
There may be many celebs for whom one appearance on Carpool Karaoke is more than enough, but there are just as many who were smash hits first time around, and who still have a lot to offer viewers of The Late Late Show. In recent years, Ariana Grande has shown that she is much more than a pretty face and an impressive singing voice, with appearances on comedy show Saturday Night Live. She was similarly impressive on her Carpool Karaoke spot, showing off her musical talents and even allowing Corden to give her a piggyback into a coffee shop when they discussed rumors that Ariana insisted on being carried everywhere.
3 Return - Elton John
Not every celebrity guest on Carpool Karaoke is happy to embrace James Corden’s crazy antics, however, musical icon Elton John certainly got into the spirit of the show when he made his appearance on the segment in 2016.
Not only did the duo get through a substantial chunk of his extensive back catalogue, but they managed to do it in some pretty outlandish costumes – everything from the crazy and colorful spectacles Elton used to wear in the 1970s to a curly Lion King mask that Corden put on to sing The Circle of Life – before Elton tried it on himself!
2 Return - Stevie Wonder
Carpool Karaoke is a great chance to see some of the biggest names in musical history talk about their own influences, in what amounts to a much more relaxed environment than a TV studio. That definitely proved to be the case when James Corden invited soul legend, Stevie Wonder, to join him on a drive around Los Angeles.
It turns out that Wonder doesn’t just have a great singing voice, but also a sharp wit, and is more than a match for Corden’s good-natured goofing around. What makes this episode even more special is the moment when Stevie Wonder phones Corden’s wife to sing I Just Called to Say I Love You – the song they danced to at their wedding.
1 Return - Adele
Fans of Carpool Karaoke are pretty much unanimous in their view that the best episode ever was the one featuring British singer Adele. James Corden and Adele are already good friends, and that is evident in their rapport during the interview, and the Someone Like You singer also shows off her varied musical tastes, performing her favorite hits by the Spice Girls and even showing off some impressive rap skills with her take on Nicki Minaj’s massive hit, Monster.
Adele and Corden clearly enjoy each other’s company, and although the clip broadcast on The Late Late Show was only five or so minutes long, there is a full-length episode which is nearly an hour long!
Sources - E Online, Youtube, Standard