James Corden Reveals How He Persuaded Paul McCartney To Appear on 'Carpool Karaoke'

Back in 2018, Paul McCartney appeared on James Corden's Carpool Karaoke, but Corden recently revealed what went on behind the scenes before the show. Apparently, McCartney initially agreed to do the segment but got "cold feet" the week before they were set to film. During a conversation for The Paley Center for Media's Playfest L.A., James shared how he eventually convinced Paul to join him.

It all started with an email that Corden wrote, and evidently, he didn't hold back! "I've never really done this before. Normally, I would always consult [with my team]," Corden wrote. "And I thought, I'm just gonna send him an email. And I just wrote him an email saying, 'I think this is unacceptable.'" But that wasn't all; James wouldn't stop until he received confirmation from the musical icon. "I said, 'I completely respect your decision not to do it, but I need you to understand what the knock-on effect is for our show,'" Corden continued.

"Paul, I guarantee you, I promise you, this will be great. And the reason it will be great is because you're Paul McCartney," the comedian wrote. "You've written songs that mean more to people than any of us will ever, ever be able to comprehend. And I urge you to reconsider. But if you can't, I respect it. But I would ask you to come and do something in return when we bring our show to London."

And the day after receiving this heartfelt email, McCartney agreed to appear on Carpool Karaoke. However, he was still hesitant the morning of the show, but after some more words of wisdom from Corden, everything went as planned. "Paul, your only day's work today is to have a great time," he said, and evidently, that was all McCartney needed to hear. Following the segment, Paul was incredibly grateful for James' persuasiveness, especially after his first solo album reached the number one spot in the U.S.

"I got a text saying, 'We did it,'" Corden revealed of the positive response he got from McCartney. "Thank you for convincing me to do it. I had a blast, and we're all just immensely proud of it," McCartney wrote. Apparently, a little extra push from James Corden is all anyone needs to appear on Carpool Karaoke!