James Corden has been accused of copying, more or less, stealing, a famous joke initially told by British comedian Ricky Gervais. Corden, the fellow-Brit host/comedian, commenced his show with a joke based on Elon Musk's Twitter takeover. However, audiences instantly recognized the line from elsewhere...
On Monday, the 1st of November, James Corden, kicked off The Late Show and welcomed his audience with a monologue that he was clearly proud of. While expecting the crowd to have fits of laughter, the joke raised some eyebrows. Though, this isn't the first time Corden has been questioned for his actions. Recently, NYC french brasserie Balthazar allegedly banned Corden after an unnecessary outburst. And now, it seems he is having to explain himself once again. Ironically, he really does have a lot on his plate. The late-night monologue debate is now in session, and both Gervais/Corden parties have had their say.
"When you see Elon Musk talk about Twitter, he does this thing where he goes, 'Well, it's the town square.' But it isn't. Because if someone puts up a poster in a town square that says 'guitar lessons available,' you don't get people in the town going, 'I don't want to play the guitar! I want to play the piano, you piece of s***.' Well, that sign wasn't for you, it was for someone else. You don't have to get mad about all of it!" When the gags were done and dusted, fans took themselves to Twitter, recognizing the joke from Ricky Gervais's 2018 stand-up show, Humanity. Gervais humored Twitter almost identically. One fan addressed Gervais on Twitter, saying, "Didn't deliver it like you, though. I assume he asked to use that joke?" The After Life actor quickly responded, "I reckon one of the writers came up with it for him. I doubt he would knowingly just copy such a famous stand-up routine word for word like that." Corden jumped in and tweeted, "Inadvertently told a brilliant Ricky Gervais joke on the show last night, obviously not knowing it came from him. It's brilliant, because it's a Ricky Gervais joke. You can watch all of Ricky's excellent specials on Netflix. J x."
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Inadvertently told a brilliant Ricky Gervais joke on the show last night, obviously not knowing it came from him. It’s brilliant, because it’s a Ricky Gervais joke. You can watch all Ricky’s excellent specials on Netflix. J x
— The Late Late Show with James Corden (@latelateshow) November 1, 2022
Though Corden has been under fire before, he has maintained that the joke was not intentionally replicated word-for-word. According to Variety, he "obviously didn't know" it came from Gervais. While Corden is one of the most famous comedic hosts on television, it is strange to think he would have run out of jokes. Until the truth comes out, listen to the joke that started it all here.
