John Boyega, James Corden and Jeffrey Tambor Parody Brandy and Monica's "The Boy Is Mine"

Sadly, there's no Mekhi Phifer cameo

By Zach Johnson Aug 10, 2017 12:10 PMTags

John Boyega sure gets around.

On CBS' The Late Late Show Wednesday, James Corden and Jeffrey Tambor fought over the Detroit star, all while parodying Brandy and Monica's "The Boy Is Mine" music video from 1998.

Corden, wearing silk pajamas, sang Brandy's verses, while Tambor, dressed in a plaid PJ set, sang Monica's verses. Boyega was cast as the Casanova—a role Mekhi Phifer had originated. (Whether Corden and Tambor were aware of Brandy and Monica's new feud is anyone's guess.)

The parody started just as the video did—with a threatening phone call.

"Excuse me," Corden began. "Can I please talk to you for a minute?"

"I'm kind of busy. What's up?" Tambor said. "You know, you sound familiar."

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Sonja Flemming/CBS

"Yeah, you do, too," Corden said. "But, uh, I just want to know, do you know somebody named...you know his name." Feeling sassy, Tambor said, "Definitely, yeah. I know his name!"

"Yeah," Corden replied, "I just want to let you know that he's mine."

"No, no," Tambor fired back. "He's mine."

Compare the parody to the original video:

"The Boy Is Mine" was nominated for three awards at the 1999 Grammys, winning Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal; it was also the first No. 1 hit for the rival singers.

Brandy and Monica performed the song together only once, at the 1998 MTV VMAs. The video received two nominations—Video of the Year and Best R&B Video—but lost in both categories.