James Corden is doing a whole week of “The Late Late Show” episodes filmed in his home town of London, but he kicked Monday’s first episode off with a commentary on events back in the states — the repeal of Roe v Wade.
Filmed across the river Thames from the houses of Parliament, Corden began his comments with a brief history lesson about how the United Kingdom passed a law legalizing abortion in 1967, and on how many hundreds of people would be required to repeal that law. And of course, making it clear he has great regard and affection for America, he contrasted the situation in the U.K. to the fact that six Supreme Court justices (appointed, with one exception, by presidents who lost the popular vote) were able to impose their views on hundreds of millions of Americans.
“You don’t have to live in America — or have an American child, as I do — to feel utter disgust and anger, at the news from the Supreme Court, when six politically appointed judges can make a decision that ends the constitutional right to abortion across America,” Corden said.
“A woman’s right to choose what happens to her own body wiped out in a moment. In the land of the American dream, the land of the free, a country which prides itself on the protection of an individual’s liberty, we move instantly back to a dark age where a court has imposed a minority political view on a country for decades to come. With a decision that endangers millions upon millions of women and their families,” he continued.
“I’m struggling to get my head around any of this,” Corden added. “To say that I’m outraged and devastated would be an understatement. It’s incomprehensible that in 2022, we should even have to say out loud that women should be entitled to control their own lives and bodies, let alone live in a country that won’t allow it. If only the American leaders on the right would care and fight as much for the rights of women as they do their guns.”
He concluded: “Now this week, our shows here in London, they’re gonna be filled with laughter, full of fun and joy. But please, you know that doesn’t minimize my devastation, upset and fear at this heart-wrenching and frightening news.”
You can watch the clip below. And if you need some cheering up, here’s a preview of Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke” with Lizzo: