Having spawned a five-time Emmy-winning spin-off (it will compete for a sixth award in September), racked up a billion-plus YouTube views, and attracted almost every A-lister who can hold a note, Carpool Karaoke is arguably the most successful late-night segment in U.S. television history. Yet it derived from a distinctly British triumvirate of a BAFTA-winning sitcom, charity telethon, and pop superstar who, ironically, had been ostracized by a certain population of Americans since the late 1990s.
The late George Michael never appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden’s breakout bit. He was, however, instrumental in its origins: a 13-minute sketch filmed for 2011’s Comic Relief. Here, Corden—assuming the role of Smithy, the loudmouth best friend character he played on Gavin & Stacey (the award-winning sitcom Corden co-created with Ruth Jones)—is driving along listening to Wham! when he’s invited to help out at the BBC’s headquarters, much to the frustration of his celebrity passenger.
“But you said we were going to pick up my photos,” Michael moans like a sullen teen, a cheeky reference to his 2010 collision with the front of a Snappy Snaps one-hour photo storefront, which resulted in an eight-week prison sentence. By that point, the chart-topper had already proved he had no problem poking fun at his misdemeanors (see his “Outside” promo).
Back in the car with Corden, Michael gets even sulkier when he’s barred from attending the meeting. “I can’t walk into Comic Relief with you,” Smithy explains. “Comic Relief is about helping people like you!”
Michael’s mood changes, however, when Smithy cranks up one of the artist’s former glories: Wham!’s 1985 hit song “I’m Your Man.”
Unable to resist the tune’s infectious melodies, both parties end up gleefully belting out its chorus, sowing the seeds for an idea which would bloom beyond even Corden’s wildest dreams.
In one of those showbiz sliding doors moments, Michael briefly got cold feet about staging his comeback alongside Corden in a run-down Volvo. In 2017, Corden revealed that after his initial enthusiasm about the sketch—it was Michael’s idea to sport matching tracksuits—the singer canceled their planned shoot. Luckily, after some gentle coaxing, he relented and the first unofficial Carpool Karaoke was born.
Of course, the first official Carpool Karaoke arrived when Corden—a virtual unknown this side of the Atlantic—officially succeeded Craig Ferguson as host of The Late Late Show in 2015.
While brainstorming the tentpole moments that would instantly put him on the map, the Brit recognized that combining the car share commute with big-name sing-alongs would be viral gold. “I’ve never felt as sure that if we get people to do it, it could work,” he claimed.
It was Michael’s self-deprecation that convinced Mariah Carey to become The Late Late Show’s first pick-up. “If it’s good enough for George, it’s good enough for me,” she reportedly said after watching Carpool Karaoke’s prototype.
Hitmakers both legendary (Stevie Wonder) and contemporary (Justin Bieber) soon followed in Carey’s footsteps, and within a year, the skit had its own Emmy-winning primetime special.
By the time Corden said goodbye to late night in 2023, seven Carpool Karaoke clips had achieved more 100 million YouTube views, with Adele’s being the most-watched (264 million).
Corden’s departure didn’t signal the end of Carpool Karaoke, though. In 2017, Apple Music debuted an offshoot which opened up its doors to non-musical passengers including John Cena, LeBron James, and Hillary Clinton. Five seasons later, it’s still going strong.
Red Dwarf star Robert Llewellyn has argued that his late 2000s web series-turned-TV show Carpool, where he interviewed random celebs in a Toyota Prius, deserves the credit. But whoever originated the concept, no one has provided as much joy, or a bigger element of surprise, than Michael.
“We all have so much to thank him for, the music he’s given that will last forever,” Corden said in a tribute shortly after the vocalist’s untimely death in 2016. “But we here personally at the show, we owe him so much.”
