James Corden found himself under fire during Fox's World Cup coverage, where he was branded a 'full kit w****r' live on television. The Gavin and Stacey star has been given his own football-themed late-night TV show, After Hours, during the tournament.
Promotion Backfires
A preview of his limited-run series, set to air nightly on Fox during the World Cup, was shown during coverage of the group games on Friday night. During the buildup to a match between Canada and Bosnia, main Fox host Rebecca Lowe spoke to football heroes Alexi Lalas, Thierry Henry, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to promote Corden's show.
'Can we talk about James Corden for a second?' she asked the panel.
Lalas, who played 96 times for the US national football team and is now one of the station's leading panelists for the tournament, said: 'What do you guys call him? Full kit w****r, right?'
Corden was seen wearing a full USA training kit in the After Hours clip for a visit to the team's training base ahead of the World Cup. By definition, a 'full kit w****r' is an adult wearing head-to-toe football attire when they are not actually playing in a match.
Stunned Reactions
Thierry Henry's jaw swung open while Zlatan Ibrahimovic could only say 'whoa' after hearing the sweary remarks. 'Did he just say that?' Henry asked.
'Luckily we are on American television,' Lowe noted. 'Because the W word on British TV…' is a big no-no.
It is not the first time Lalas has courted controversy, with the analyst dividing fans with his opinions. During the last World Cup in Qatar, he donned a 'thobe' - the traditional loose-fitting robe worn by men in the Arab world - during a live TV segment. He has also been a regular critic of the US men's national team, both in and out of major tournaments.
While James Corden has returned to the States after ending his Late, Late Show in 2003. He has returned this summer to front his new late-night Fox show.
