Adele reveals James Corden’s support during difficult times in the last Carpool Karaoke for The Late Late Show

It’s the final week of James Corden’s tenure on CBS’ late night talk show, The Late Late Show, which means one last ridealong with the British host, who is set to return to the United Kingdom once his presenting duties have been completed. Fitting then that the last singalong guest with him on this occasion is the singer who helped cement Carpool Karaoke as a long-standing segment that has been shared, reposted and meme’d more than any other artist - British songstress Adele.

But in a twist, rather than Corden picking up Adele, it was the “Someone Like You” singer that rolled up to the front door of the Corden residence to take James out and about, taking the time to sing some of the Grammy winner’s biggest hits once again, including “I Drink Wine.” It was this song however that prompted Adele and James to tear up about an emotional conversation the pair had, while Adele was going through a divorce and Corden dealing with the pressure of his personal life (and the bad karma he generated through his “bad attitude,” which has been reported liberally in the press.)

"We were on vacation together with the kids, and we were on our way home. And my mood had changed and it was like the first year where I felt like I had to hold myself accountable for being an adult,” she admitted to Corden, also revealing that the lyrics to the song are somewhat based on their prior conversations. "The year before I left Simon (Konecki) and stuff like that, and you and (Corden's wife) Jules and the kids were so integral in looking after me... you used to do it with humour too."

That prompted both Corden and Adele to tear up, as they referenced a six hour conversation the pair had when Corden was struggling with the barbs he had taken since his blow up at Balthazar in 2022 and general online chatter about some of his behaviour, including a plane ride with his wife.

Corden said he had been "floored" after first hearing the song, which had been "everything I had been feeling that day" before Adele told him "every time I listen to this I think of you."

The friendship between Adele and James Corden may not have been public when the two were plying the trade in the United Kingdom, with Corden’s popularity stemming from his role as Smithy in Gavin and Stacy, and Adele had left the BRIT School to release her first single, “Chasing Pavements” in 2008. But since her appearance on Carpool Karaoke, their friendship appears to be closer than audiences had thought, given the comments during the final Carpool Karaoke. 

Twice in 2016, Adele gushed over the talk show host, telling Rolling Stone that year that “he's so brilliant at what he does. He's so quick-witted and hilarious and charming. He's got so many qualities” while admitting to Corden’s face in 2016 that “I feel like you're my best friend, and I've only just met you. I love you." Perhaps her biggest celebration of her friendship with Corden came during her 2021 appearance on The Late Late Show, in which she point-blank told the host “You've been such a huge part of my career, and my life, and my personal life as well. I'm so grateful to you. I love you so much."

Corden has also been vocal about his love of Adele, telling the New York Times in 2017 “She's a very dear friend of mine, and I think she's the greatest living vocalist in the world," while also declaring her “an amazing, amazing person, an amazing mom, an amazing friend, and just the most incredible artist” in a 2019 interview for Rolling Stone. Perhaps it is the case that the pair have a shared sense of humour, as Corden admitted to CBS News in 2016; “she's the same person now that she was before she was famous. She's incredibly humble, she's incredibly funny, and she's incredibly warm.”

The Late Late Show with James Corden’s final week on air continues this evening.