Soccer analyst Alexi Lalas dropped a vulgar insult about James Corden during a live pregame show on Fox, catching his co-hosts off guard.
During the June 12 broadcast ahead of the U.S. vs. Paraguay match, Lalas casually dropped a British vulgar term about Corden, asking his fellow panelists Rebecca Lowe, Thierry Henry, and Zlatan Ibrahimović, "What do you guys call him?" before launching into the crude dig.
Henry immediately reacted, blurting out, "Did he just say that?" Lowe, quick on her feet, pointed out that the "W-word on British TV" would be a massive no-no, adding with a laugh, "Lucky we're on American television."
Lalas tried to clarify his "joke" was about Corden being "all dressed up and ready to go," but the remark had already registered with his co-hosts.
This is not Corden's first brush with on-air controversy. The Late Late Show alum recently faced backlash for making an NSFW joke about Judi Dench and Dr. Anthony Fauci at the 2025 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony. He has also faced backlash for an obscene Harvey Weinstein quip, which prompted a public apology.
"To be clear, sexual assault is no laughing matter," Corden wrote on X at the time. "I was not trying to make light of Harvey's inexcusable behavior, but to shame him, the abuser, not his victims."
