James Corden says he 'inadvertently' told a Ricky Gervais joke
James Corden says he 'inadvertently' told a Ricky Gervais joke on his US chat show.
He tweeted via The Late Late Show's official feed: "Inadvertently told a brilliant Ricky Gervais joke on the show last night, obviously not knowing it came from him. It's brilliant, because it's a Ricky Gervais joke. You can watch all Ricky's excellent specials on Netflix. J x"
The tweet was prompted by users on social media calling out Corden for delivering a routine on his show on Monday that was almost word-for-word the same as one Ricky Gervais had showcased in his 2018 Netflix special Humanity.
Speaking about new Twitter owner Elon Musk likening the social media platform to a town square, Corden said: "But it isn't. Because if someone puts up a poster in a town square that says 'guitar lessons available'... like you don't get people in the town going, 'I don't want to play the guitar! I want to play the piano, you piece of shit!'. That sign wasn't for you. It was for somebody else. You don't have to get mad about all of it."
Meanwhile the Ricky Gervais routine goes: "They choose to read my tweet, and then take that personally. That's like going into a town square, seeing a big notice board and there's a notice - guitar lessons - and you go, 'But I don't want fucking guitar lessons'. Fine, it's not for you then, just walk away. Don't worry about it!".
Twitter user Paul Anthony put the two clips together to allow a direct comparison:
See X post
Gervais originally retweeted the clip with the comment "The bit about the town square advert for guitar lessons is brilliant", however he has subsequently deleted the comment and has instead shared James Corden's post.
After eight years on air, Corden is due to leave The Late Late Show next year and is expected to return to the UK to spend more time with his family.
The actor and writer, who is due to launch new comedy drama Mammals on Amazon Prime on Friday 11th November, has already attracted negative press this month after he was banned from a New York restaurant for being "the most abusive customer".