Thierry Henry was left visibly stunned during a live World Cup broadcast on Fox Sports after fellow pundit Alexi Lalas unleashed an X-rated insult at James Corden. The incident occurred as the panel discussed Corden's upcoming 'After Hours' show, which will air during the tournament.
The Live Broadcast Incident
FOX presenter Rebecca Lowe and pundit Thierry Henry were caught off guard when Alexi Lalas openly swore on air. Ahead of Friday's World Cup games, Lalas joined Henry, Lowe, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. During the segment, a promotional video for James Corden's 'After Hours' show was played.
Lowe attempted to engage the panel, asking, 'Can we talk about James Corden for a moment?' Lalas wasted no time, responding: 'Yeah, what do you guys call him? A full kit w*****, right? Or whatever it means.'
Reactions from the Panel
The outburst caught the hosts entirely off guard. Lowe and Henry appeared shocked, while Zlatan muttered, 'Woah.' Realizing his mistake, Lalas tried to explain: 'He's wearing that thing, he's all dressed up and ready to go,' referring to Corden's full Team USA kit in the promo.
Henry, still reeling, asked: 'Did he just say that?' Lowe attempted to defuse the tension, remarking: 'Ok. Lucky we're on American television because the 'W' word on British TV, uh-uh. You've still got to visit James though, right? You've gotta go visit James Corden.'
Social Media Reaction
Viewers quickly took to social media to ridicule Lalas' blunder. One X user wrote: 'His reactions looks like the thumbnail on a YouTube slop AI video.' Another commented: 'His co-hosts did nothing to cover it up and just totally threw him under the bus too.' A third added: 'The reaction from everyone else is going to go triple platinum on here.'
However, some insisted that Lowe, Henry, and Zlatan overreacted, noting that Americans do not attach the same meaning to the word. 'W***** is not used here in the states. No American watching TV would be offended by it,' one person remarked. Another queried: 'Wait you can't say w***** in the UK?'
Background on Corden's Show
Lalas' comments drew unwanted attention to the 'FIFA World Cup on Fox After Hours With James Corden,' which airs in the US at midnight. Speaking about the programme at the FOX upfront presentation, Corden said: 'It's going to be me, former England soccer captain Rio Ferdinand, and one of my favorite comedians on planet Earth, Ian Karmel. Every night after the games, we're going to be trying to have a lighthearted look at the World Cup, talking about the games, talking about anything that may have happened that day. And what we're going to do is make it feel like if you couldn't be out with your friends in a bar that night, we'll be there to have some fun.'
