James Corden is finding a way to commemorate the fifth anniversary of hosting The Late Late Show amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The 41-year-old host filmed a video from his house and shared it on Monday night, noting that the original plan was to tape a special episode marking the big milestone, but of course, this is no longer possible given the current national emergency. The Late Late Show's production, as well as all major late night shows' productions, has been shut down due to the growing health crisis.
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"We had so many big plans for tonight, for the show we were going to give to you, and for obvious reasons we can't give you that show right now," Corden said. "So, I thought what we would play tonight is the first episode ever of The Late Late Show. An episode which if I think back to it, I'm filled with nerves and excitement, and a feeling of when that curtain opened and I walked out for the first time, I didn't know if I was gonna fall flat on my face or if this was all gonna be OK. And I never thought that day that I would be here today talking to you five years on."
Of course, Corden's run as The Late Late Show host has been an incredible success after he took over for Craig Ferguson, launching now iconic segments like "Carpool Karaoke" and "Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts." Interestingly enough, Corden's first guest back in 2015 was none other than Tom Hanks, who was the first big celebrity to reveal that he -- as well as his wife, Rita Wilson -- had tested positive for coronavirus. Hanks had been in Australia working on pre-production for Baz Luhrmann's untitled Elvis Presley film.
"That first episode is also very special to us because it makes me think of Tom Hanks, who was our first ever guest on the show," Corden noted. "Our thoughts go out to him and Rita in Australia right now. Our thoughts go out to all of you, wherever you are."
On that first episode of Late Late Show, Hanks and Corden acted out snippets from the actor's illustrious film career, from Big to the Toy Story movies.
"This is the strangest, strangest time," the normally upbeat Corden continued in somber tones. "And all we've ever wanted to do on our show is bring you some light in the dark corner of your room at night, and we're gonna do our best at some point to continue trying to do that. Thank you for these last five years, for letting me talk to you every night. I never expected it to be quite the journey it has been. ... Stay safe out there."
For more on how the coronavirus has deeply affected the entertainment world, watch the video below:
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