Adele Takes the Wheel and Surprises James Corden for Final Carpool Karaoke: “That Was a Shock to Me”

Adele helped James Corden say goodbye to his longtime Carpool Karaoke segment on The Late Late Show. 

In an emotional video released Monday (April 24), Adele surprised Corden at his house and offered to give him a ride to work, so they could have one last jam session.

The English singer-songwriter first appeared on Carpool Karaoke in 2016 in a sketch that was later named the biggest YouTube viral video of the year. The clip currently sits at over 260 million viewers.

This time around, the two performed “Don’t Rain on My Parade” by Barbra Streisand, plus Adele’s hit tracks “Rolling in the Deep” and “I Drink Wine,” among others.

Corden reflected on the surprise in an interview with Variety, saying, “That was a shock to me, I didn’t know about that. I thought our last carpool was with Diddy. He was someone we tried to get for a while. And then this surprise with Adele happened!”

He continued, “The fact that she came and did that for me. The fact that it was her idea to say, ‘Well, why don’t I drive him to work?’ It’s really special because what you’re actually watching is two friends who moved to Los Angeles, I think a week apart. And one of them is going home and one of them is staying. That’s hugely emotional. It just so happens that one of them is the biggest singer in the world.”

Adele and Corden got emotional at multiple points during the segment as they reflected on their tight-knit friendship. Adele revealed that Corden supported her during her divorce from ex-husband Simon Konecki, saying, “You and Jules and the kids were so integral in looking after me. You were always an adult to me, you’ve always given us advice.”

Adele also recalled getting upset during a conversation when Corden expressed that he was having troubles with “work stuff and the internet.” She said that Corden feeling “unsafe” made her “feel unsafe,” because he had given her support for years.

Another emotional moment came when they arrived at their final destination, which was Corden’s work. “There’s CBS,” he said toward the end of the video. “This is my last ever time to do this. This is blowing my mind.” He then called Adele “one of my best friends,” and she echoed the sentiment.

Corden’s final broadcast will occur on Thursday (April 27) with Will Ferrell and Harry Styles set to appear as special guests. It’s the end of an era as he recently shared that he does not “envisage a scenario” where he would return to host another late-night program. He has been hosting the program since 2015.

The Late Late Show finale airs April 27 at 10/9c on CBS. Watch Adele and James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke segment in the video above.