Carpool Karaoke is a recurring segment on The Late Late Show with James Corden in which James Corden the host of the show invites famous musical guests to sing along to their songs with him whilst he is driving on a planned route in Los Angeles.
Corden explained that the segment was inspired by a Gavin & Stacey-themed sketch he had participated in for the British charity television special Red Nose Day 2011, in which he sang along with George Michael in a car, stating that "Ben Winston and I always thought there was something very joyful about someone very, very famous singing their songs in an ordinary situation. We just had this idea: Los Angeles, traffic, the carpool lane — maybe this is something we could pull off."
The segments, have featured artists such as Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Stevie Wonder, One Direction, Adele, Mariah Carey, Sia, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, have proven popular as viral videos on the Late Late Show's YouTube channel.[1][2][3]
A Carpool Karaoke segment featuring Adele reached 42 million views within 5 days, making it the most viral video originating from a late night program since 2013.[4] The Adele segment has received over 127 million views as of September 2016.[5]
A segment featuring First Lady Michelle Obama (eventually joined by Missy Elliot singing "This is For My Girls")[6] was released on July 20, 2016, and has reached over 43 million views as of September 2016.
On March 29, 2016, CBS aired a primetime special featuring highlights of the segment, and a new edition with Jennifer Lopez.[7] The special would win a 2016 Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special.[8]
The Red Hot Chili Peppers appeared on the June 13, 2016 segment. During the filming, singer Anthony Kiedis saved the life of a baby. Kiedis later said, "A woman came out of her house, holding a child, saying, 'My baby, my baby, my baby can't breathe!' We all ran across the street, the woman thrust the baby into my arms, the baby was not breathing and I thought, 'I'm gonna try and do a little baby CPR real quick, see if I can get some air in this kid.' Tried to open the mouth, [it was] like locked shut. So I started rubbing the belly, bubbles came out of the mouth, the eyes rolled back into place, the ambulance showed up and I handed the baby over, who was now breathing and fine, and we went back to Carpool Karaoke."[9][10]
The guests in chronological order appearing on the segment
| # | Episode | Guest | Date of first broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Mariah Carey | March 25, 2015 |
| 2 | 11 | Jennifer Hudson | April 13, 2015 |
| 3 | 34 | Justin Bieber | May 20, 2015 |
| 4 | 46 | Iggy Azalea | June 18, 2015 |
The popularity of the segment on the internet led to two different series being produced. In July 2016, it was announced that Apple Music would distribute a series based on Corden's Carpool Karaoke.[11] The decision came after Spike had announced plans to air a series inspired by the section, titled "Caraoke Showdown", to be hosted by Craig Robinson.[12][13]