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James Corden Breaks Down To Tears As Reggie Watts Talks Systemic Racism
3 June 2020, 07:11
James Corden: It's Time for Change in the US
In the midst of protests following the murder of George Floyd, James Corden sobbed as Reggie Watts shared his experience of growing up as a black man in America.
Together, James Corden and The Late Late Show's bandleader, Reggie Watts cried as they discussed the social injustice both he and other black people had faced in America.
This comes as people are protesting the systemic racism following the murder of George Floyd, who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes.
In a video titled 'James Corden: It's Time for Change in the US,' the Gavin & Stacey star said "I know I want to do more; I want to learn more, and let that be a start."
He then introduced comedian Reggie Watts, who has headed up the show's band since its pilot in March 2015.
Reggie told James that he was unsure about how he was feeling, stating that he was "feeling so much simultaneously, it's crazy".
He then began speaking about his experience of growing up black in America saying that, whilst he was "fortunate" enough to grow up in a neighbourhood where he felt protected from racism, his parents still faced it.
Speaking to James, Reggie said his mother was a "fierce fighter and would get out of the house and get in people's faces about, you know, people calling me the N-word or whatever growing up and being different and stuff."
Continuing, he said his father struggled to find employment after he got out of the army, as he was black. He even discussed how "their marriage wasn't recognised in the U.S. because of the laws prohibiting interracial marriage"
As Reggie spoke, he began to cry, which then led his friend, James Corden, to cry with him, as he apologised, saying "I would give anything to be with you and put my arm around you".
"It's like, well, if you're of color, you know, you gotta represent your whole crew. I grew up my life really trying to be seen as a human being and not to have people affected by the way that they look, but I also know that's just reality. Mostly, I'm feeling so much," Reggie said.
Later, James Corden shared Dave's performance of 'Black' from this year's BRIT Awards. "It was something I kept coming back to," said James.
"He taped this after a period of race issues in Britain, which included the Grenfell fire killing so many of its residents, and when a group of immigrants named the Windrush generation were put under threat.
"He also mentions in the song his friend Jack Merritt who was working on improving prisoner rehabilitation when he was killed during a London terror attack."
Dave went on to win the prestigious British Album award for 'Psychodrama' at this year's BRIT Awards. He was also nominated for British Male Solo Artist, New Artist and British Single.
There are many ways you can support the #BlackLivesMatter movement, including donating to the George Floyd Memorial fund, the official Black Lives Matter campaign, or The Bail Project.
