Carpool Karaoke has come a very long way since its modest beginnings as a comedy sketch in 2011.
Since then, our favorite late night talk show host James Corden has welcomed celebrities as massive as Mariah Carey, Bruno Mars, and Harry Styles into his car to take advantage of L.A.’s carpool lanes, and racked up hundreds of millions of YouTube views doing so.
The segment has been so popular, in fact, it’s even got a show of its own, with a standalone Carpool Karaoke series making its debut on Apple Music tonight (August 8). Guests such as Will Smith, Miley Cyrus, and Shaquille O’Neal promise to make it a must-watch, so in the mean time let’s sit back and remind ourselves of the segment’s best moments so far.
10. Wrestling with the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Who really won? You be the judge. #CarpoolKaroke pic.twitter.com/S3pFk8j35f
— The Late Late Show (@latelateshow) June 14, 2016
Wrestling on a stranger’s front lawn is the least of what the RHCP get up to with James in this June 2016 installment of the segment. They also got naked, sang a rendition of “Food! Glorious Food!” from the musical Oliver!, and, according to news reports, even helped save a baby’s life while filming the whole thing.
9. Justin Bieber Completes a Rubik’s Cube
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Wait. What? Is there no end to the Canadian pop star’s talents? The all-singing, all-dancing boy wonder can, apparently, finish a Rubik’s Cube in two minutes. The look on James’s face when Justin pulls off this genius feat says it all.
8. Two Hollywood A-Listers Cadge a Lift
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James and Gwen Stefani were happily singing along to hits like “Don’t Speak” and “The Sweet Escape,” when they spotted two familiar-looking hitchhikers on the street in May 2016.
7. James and Jason Derulo Gatecrash a Star Tour
Image may be NSFW.
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(Image: CBS / YouTube)
Brits have many special qualities, but “swag” is not one of them. Step forward Jason Derulo, who gets out of the car to show James how to dab, all the while trying to keep a straight face, before spotting one of L.A.’s many Star Tours trucks, and hopping on for a free ride.
6. James Sets J.Lo Up On a Date with Leonardo DiCaprio
Image may be NSFW.
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(Image: CBS / YouTube)
We’ve all got one of those friends, who thinks it’s funny to grab hold our phone and mischievously send one of our contacts a message without our permission. Well, pity Jennifer Lopez in this clip, as James sends a flirty text to one of hers. The contact in question? None other than Leonardo DiCaprio, who makes the #awksarama even more awkward by responding in kind.
5. James Sings Lion King Classics with Sir Elton John
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What’s better than belting out “The Circle of Life” with the song’s actual composer and singer? Doing it wearing a lion wig, feather boas and googly eyes, that’s what.
4. Adele Does The Spice Girls Rap
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Just in case we were under the impression that Adele had let her success get to her, she gave a flawless rendition of the rap from the Spice Girls’ 1996 debut hit “Wannabe.”
3. Madonna Lets Slip an Unbelievable Exclusive
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Yep, Madge twerked and showed off her impressive yoga skills in the passenger seat during her December 2016 segment, but it wasn’t until she dropped some 25-year-old tea about fellow ’80s majordomo Michael Jackson that she got James’s full attention.
2. James and George Michael Belt Out ‘I’m Your Man’
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The one where it all began: in 2011 James wrote a sketch for Comic Relief starring George Michael and himself as his Gavin & Stacey alter ego Smithy. The pair drove through London wearing matching tracksuits and bickering, until one of Smithy’s barbs upset George and he got sulky. There was only one thing for it. Turn on the radio, sing along to Wham!’s “I’m Your Man,” and boom! An idea was born.
1. Stevie Wonder Makes James Cry
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When Stevie Wonder joined James in his car, he sang one of his most famous hits down the phone to James’ wife Julia, changing the lyrics to “I Just Called to Say James Loves You.” Needless to say James got emotional pretty quickly. (And if a tear doesn’t come to your eye, then we’re sorry to inform you, but your heart is made of stone.)