How George Michael helped get James Corden’s ‘Carpool Karaoke’ off the ground

‘Carpool Karaoke’ is one of the ‘The Late Late Show with James Corden’s’ most notable segments, with multiple guest appearances going viral on YouTube.

The segment is definitely a fan-favorite, and it all goes back to one notable source of inspiration: George Michael.

Corden credits Michael as the inspiration behind his infamous ‘Carpool Karaoke’ videos. The ‘Careless Whisper’ singer appeared on a comedy skit with Corden back in 2011 for a British charity, Comic Relief.

“My original idea was to pick George Michael up from prison in a car,” Corden later revealed to fellow talk show host Stephen Colbert on The Late Show.

“And then we realized, ‘Maybe we’ll lose the prison, but what if there’s still some fun for me and George to be in the car and we’ll sing some Wham! songs?’”

In the skit, the pair belt out ‘I’m Your Man’ as Michael drives away. Corden was on a British sitcom ‘Gavin and Stacey’ at the time and played his show persona, a character named Smithy, in the Comic Relief skit with Michael.

James Corden pays tribute to George Michael after his passing

When Michael passed on December 25, 2016, Corden reminisced on his friendship with the British singer.

In addition to shouting out Michael’s role in the now-popular ‘Carpool Karaoke’, Corden also mentioned how big of an impact Michael had on him personally.

“I think it hit me a bit harder, because I was lucky enough back in 2011 to meet George and spend some time with him,” Corden shared, discussing his emotional response to learning about Michael’s passing.

“Because he very kindly agreed to do a sketch for Comic Relief, which is a huge charity in the U.K. on a big day called Red Nose Day. And I wanted George to be in this sketch with me.”

‘Carpool Karaoke’ comes to an end

‘Carpool Karaoke’ gained traction since its inception, and though Michael is credited as the inspiration for the segment, the first official ‘Carpool Karaoke’ guest on ‘The Late Late Show with James Corden’ was none other than Mariah Carey.

The singer made her appearance on March 26, 2015. Carey and Corden sang some of her most well-known hits, including ‘Always Be My Baby’ and ‘Fantasy’.

Now, eight years later, ‘Carpool Karaoke’ closed out with another powerhouse singer, as Adele was the final guest on the segment.

Adele spoke about her divorce in this emotional episode, and revealed that Corden helped her a lot in the aftermath.

Adele mirrored many fans’ sentiments when she told Corden how much she would miss him and the show, but wished him the best in his return to London.