Coronavirus: James Corden chokes up as he says he’s been ‘overwhelmed with sadness’ amid pandemic

James Corden choked up on live television while revealing he is often “overwhelmed with sadness” amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The actor and US talk show host returned to the air last night (30 March) with a special episode recorded in his personal garage, and spoke of his recent mental health.

“I’ve found it tougher than I ever thought I would,” he explained. “I’ve found myself having these incredible spikes of anxiety and sadness when I’ve allowed myself to think about my family back home in England, or my friends or the people I love.”

“You feel so out of control in it all,” he continued. “It feels so beyond our comprehension, all of it, that I’ve found I just get sort of overwhelmed with sadness in it all.”

He then added that he’s realised it’s “OK” to feel such emotions.

“It’s all right to feel a bit sad,” he said. “It’s OK to feel anxious, and the best thing we can all do is try and breathe through that and try and put our minds in a positive place.”

Corden’s talk show had been on hiatus from filming amid the early weeks of the entertainment industry shutdown, but he had been the only late-night host to not film from their homes as a result.

The special episode, called Homefest: James Corden’s Late Late Show Special, featured musical performances via webcam from Dua Lipa, BTS and Billie Eilish and an appearance by Will Ferrell.

Corden said that returning to television had made him “feel a bit lighter”.

He added that the special was designed “to bring some joy and some music into your home at what is without question one of the strangest and scariest moments in all our lives”.

Corden’s new film Peter Rabbit 2 was one of the first high-profile movies to have its release date postponed amid the widespread closure of cinemas around the world.

James Corden’s Late Late Show Special will screen on Sky One and NOW TV on Thursday 2 April at 9pm.