Is James Corden Actually Driving in “Carpool Karaoke”?

A chance encounter reveals a glimpse behind the curtain

Highway sign referencing James Corden
Many of your questions about the logistics of shooting "Carpool Karaoke" have been answered.
Oregon Department of Transportation/Creative Commons

If you’ve ever watched James Corden lead a car full of celebrities in song during a Carpool Karaoke segment, you might find yourself wondering about the relative safety of everyone on the road. After all, leading a sing-a-long with famous guests probably meets some (if not all) of the qualifications of distracted driving.

Turns out that everything you thought you knew about Carpool Karaoke might be wrong. Does that sound overly dramatic for something involving, well, Carpool Karaoke? Possibly. Thanks to the keen eyes of Zoli Honig, the proverbial curtain has been pulled back a little bit — and we can all see how the magic happens.

Honig saw Corden and Justin Bieber in an SUV, presumably recording a segment — and then saw that the SUV was itself being towed behind another vehicle. Given Corden’s skill at pulling off pranks, the fact that he might engage in a bit of misdirection elsewhere on his show should come as little surprise.

And honestly, while the illusion of Carpool Karaoke as taking place in a car that Corden’s driving may have suffered, what’s actually going on here certainly looks a lot safer — both for the people in Corden’s car and for the drivers elsewhere on the road.

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