Don't expect to see James Corden competing in the 2020 Olympics.
Since his 5-year-old son expressed in an interest in becoming a gymnast, the Late Late Show host decided to visit the L.A. School of Gymnastics in Thursday's episode, "to see if it's worth it." After spending an inordinate amount of time complaining about the vending machines, Corden joined the other parents in the observation room. He eventually grew restless and decided to take a lesson so he could get a real feel for what his son will experience—should he ever enroll.
Corden joined a class tailored to toddlers, and they began with floor exercises. Next, the TV host moved on to the balance beam—something male gymnasts don't typically use. "So, this is the chalk for your hands? My son will immediately put that chalk in his mouth, so I need to make sure [it's OK]," he told the coach just before he ingested it. "Not great. That is not good."
The bars and the rings proved to be too hard for a novice like Corden, and he eventually felt "bullied" by the other children, who chased him around the floor. "You're not going to get me!" After they sat down, he told his much younger classmates, "I just feel like I'm not getting the praise that you guys are getting from Coach Heather. What do you guys think? Why do you think I'm struggling in the gymnastics?" One of the girls deadpanned, "Because you're rubbish."
Corden then asked some of the kids to name something he's good at doing—but he certainly didn't expect one girl to say he's only good at yelling and shouting. "OK, I'm glad we had this chat, guys," he said. "Let's get back to it. That's been really good for my all around confidence."
Next, it was time to test out the trampolines. "I'm not flipping!" Corden said before before he dove into the foam pit. "I'm actually quite happy in here. This is the best place you could ever be. I'm so happy." The kids followed suit, and before long they were jumping on Corden and tickling him. So, he decided to get a little payback after he emerged from the pit. "I lost my phone. I'll give $10 to whoever finds my phone," he lied. As they dove back into the pit, Corden looked directly into the camera and said, "Little do they know, I didn't drop my phone in there."
At the end of the class, everyone received a medal—except Corden. "This whole thing is rigged. The system is rigged," he protested. "There's doping going on here and I'm not interested in it!"
Corden left with his head hanging down.
"Thanks, guys," he told his classmates. "This has been great fun."
The Late Late Show With James Corden airs weeknights at 12:35 a.m. on CBS.