James Corden has taken over Old Navy, LensCrafters, The Price Is Right, and even the entire city of L.A. But his takeover of California’s Forum arena may be his most star-studded undertaking yet.
In the hours leading up to California’s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball concert last Friday, Corden temporarily took over as the Forum’s General Manager and visited each performer before he or she took the stage. He chronicled the takeover in a Late Late Show segment, in which he starts off strong by invading the swanky VIP tour manager lounge and putting together what might be the most disgusting sandwich known to humankind.
Once he finishes his spaghetti-chicken-ice cream masterpiece, he visits Ed Sheeran and insists he needs a better security team. Corden clearly takes Sheeran’s safety seriously, as he forces his tour manager out of his dressing room, screams at two innocent bystanders, and gives Sheeran his own fancy security codename: Gingerbread Man (appropriate and seasonally relevant).
Next stop, Niall Horan. After a moment of confusion involving a request for hemorrhoid cream, Corden orders Niall to lounge in his massage chair so that he can relax before the show. Corden massages Horan’s temples, strokes his hair, and kisses his forehead before he ties a sleeping Horan’s shoelaces together and leaves the room. Kudos to Horan for keeping a straight face throughout (almost) the entire segment.
Corden continues to make the rounds and tries to calm down a nervous Demi Lovato (who struggles to keep up with Corden’s confusing high-five instructions) and Sam Smith, who admits he wouldn’t mind having a few more candles and puppies in his dressing room (wouldn’t we all?). He also stops by Liam Payne’s dressing room to “fix” his TV. The two of them end up snuggling on a couch and watching The Big Bang Theory.
But just as Corden starts to brag about how easy being a General Manager is, he gets a frantic phone call—one of Taylor Swift’s backup dancers is injured and can’t perform. Instead of finding a replacement, Corden becomes the replacement and claims he’ll fit right in with the rest of her dancers. Swift gives Corden a chance and practices the “Look What You Made Me Do” routine with him a couple times. In one of the funniest moments of the video, she even lets him scream “BECAUSE SHE’S DEAD” when she gets to the end of her song. But after Corden leads Swift and her dancers in a very awkward backstage chant, Swift ditches him the first chance she gets and leaves him standing by himself in his mesh crop top and leggings.
You can watch Corden’s entire “Take a Break” segment below. You can also still purchase tickets to Toronto’s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball concert, which takes place on Saturday December 9 at the Air Canada Centre and features performances from Fifth Harmony, Kelly Clarkson, Cardi B, and more.
