Reggie Watts breaks down as he tells James Corden his parents' interracial marriage wasn't recognized in the past
'The Late Late Show with James Corden' host dedicated Monday's (June 1) episode to spread an important message across the country — a call for solidarity and to do better. Amidst the civil unrest in the wake of George Floyd's killing at the hands of Minneapolis police last week, Corden took to his show, which he is currently filming from his garage, to shed light on the dire state of the country.
"I've been struggling all weekend wondering what to say to you here tonight. Because who needs my opinion? Why is my voice relevant? There is not one person in the world who woke up this morning and thought - I need to know what James Corden thinks about all of this. Surely this is a time for me to listen, not talk. And then I realized that that's part of the problem. People like me have to speak up. To be clear, I’m not talking about late-night hosts or people who are fortunate, like I am, to have a platform. I'm talking about white people. White people cannot just say anymore - yeah I am not racist and think that that's enough because it's not. It's not enough. Because make no mistake this is our problem to solve. How can the black community dismantle a problem that they didn’t create?" he started in what could be one of his most intense episodes yet.
"@JKCorden is giving the most awesome f**king monologue on his show right now. I’ll be very surprised if Trump isn’t tweeting about him calling him names tomorrow," tweeted a viewer. "Thank you for sharing this, James. This segment made me cry," added another viewer.
Things became personal when bandleader Reggie Watts spoke about the racism he had to face as a child. "I don't know. Feeling so much simultaneously. It's crazy," Watts had said. Soon afterward, after he spoke about his father growing up in the Midwest, going to Vietnam then returning and not being able to find a job because of his color, he broke down.
"The economy wasn’t doing that well, and he had to re-enlist and got sent back to Vietnam." He also recalled how his parents' marriage "wasn't recognized in the US because of laws prohibiting interracial marriage."
"It's hard,” he said. "There's so much happening."
Hearing Watts's account was a sobering experience for many. "Watched james corden's video first thing in the morning and broke down watching a black man cry on the screen while mentioning how his parent's interracial marriage wasn't even valid for some time," tweeted a viewer.
The subject of police brutality struck a chord with many while still being a reminder to the stark differences. "I just heard @JKCorden drop thee best line about the difference btween black/brown and white relationship with the police/authority figures and it's this," said a viewer.
"The things white people associate with justice help and safety are often the very opposite for black and brown people," tweeted a fan, adding, "Goddamm its soo true even for me as a privileged brown person my dealings with the cops especially are not the same. #JusticeForFloyd #blm."
The show also discussed about showing solidarity without taking space from the black community and the importance of empathy when dealing with racial issues.
Earlier in the show, Corden had also spoken about the contribution of the community during Covid-19. "All of this is happening while we are still experiencing the horrors of this pandemic. A pandemic which saw more black and brown people suffer from the disease, yet have less access to healthcare that they needed," he said.
"And remember it's those same people, who make up a higher percentage of the essential workers helping all of us during this health crisis… So they help society more, but they get helped less. We shouldn't be just trying to understand the rage. We should feel the rage."
Corden's message struck a chord with viewers across the country. "@JKCorden right now. Speaking the absolute truth. #LateLateShow #BLACK_LIVES_MATTER #whiteprivilegeisreal"
"@JKCorden thank you!!!!!! Thank you for what you are saying!!" tweeted another viewer. "Everybody's just broken down on James Corden's show right now. So many feelings," added one.
"Tonight’s @latelateshow with James Corden is POWERFUL! Vulnerable, real, transparent talk about race thank you for your Reggie, @MichaelEDyson dropping KNOWLEDGE and that performance from British rapper Dave @Santandave1 Wow! Well done James. #connected," said a viewer.