James Corden Delivers Emotional Speech After Elementary School Shooting

Late-night host James Corden was one of the many who spoke up after the shooting at an elementary school in Texas, leaving 19 children and 2 adults dead. This mass shooting came only a week after a shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, left ten people dead and several more wounded.

“The Late Late Show” host thought about his own children when he delivered a heartbreaking speech about the “unfathomable” tragedy in front of a live audience.

In his speech, transcribed by The Hollywood Reporter, Corden said that he couldn’t imagine what the parents of the nineteen deceased children were feeling to get the phone call announcing that their child had passed away in a school shooting.

“As a father, I can’t imagine the horror of that phone call,” Corden began. “When I drop my kids off at school this morning and kiss them goodbye, it doesn’t cross your mind that that could ever be the last goodbye.”

“The thought of that phone call — that your child is the victim in a mass shooting — is beyond comprehension as a human being,” he continued. “I’m so deeply sad for the families of these children, the trauma of the survivors, and for the future that these kids will never see.”

James Corden, who was born in Hillingdon, U.K., said he was “constantly shocked” by how often mass shootings are happening without responsible gun control legislation.

“I don’t know what has to happen to change things here,” he continued. “I am constantly shocked by the number of people who must think this is an OK byproduct to never make meaningful changes to gun laws. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

“It doesn’t reflect the country that I think America is, the America I’ve always admired. You have a problem, you solve it,” he went on. “You’re on the forefront of medicine, of technology, of innovation. When there’s a world war, you are the ones we turn to. Yet on this issue, America is one of the most backward places in the world.”

He pointed out that so far, there have been no school shootings in the U.K., Australia, or Japan in 2022. However, there have been multiple mass shootings in the U.S. this year with no end in sight. He named 27 school shootings in America and 212 mass shootings only five months into the year.

“Nothing will change,” a pessimistic Corden continued. “Gun money will continue to get in the way of morality.”

“Words of thoughts and prayers will come from our leaders, but I fear change never will,” he added. “I hold out hope that this country will eventually wake up and change this senseless gun culture. My heart simply goes out to every single person in Texas tonight.”

Corden was not the only late-night host to pay tribute to the victims of the senseless elementary school shooting. On “The Late Show,” Stephen Colbert seemed to tear up as he attempted to make sense of the “unspeakable” shooting that left nineteen parents without their children.

“While we can add our prayers for the dead, there is nothing that can ever be said that can approach the immeasurable grief of those families,” Colbert said, pausing for a moment as he appeared to be overcome with emotion.

“Let’s pray this time our leaders show a modicum of courage in trying to prevent this from ever happening again,” he continued. “But prayers won’t end this, voting might. So when you vote, ask yourself this question: Who running for office has publicly stated that they are willing to do anything and everything in their power to protect your children from the criminally insane number of guns in America?”

“The Tonight Show” aired a card before the episode of Tuesday night, saying, “Tonight’s show was taped prior to today’s tragic news in Texas” to explain why the shooting was not addressed.