James Corden Shares Message for London After Westminster Attack
James Corden took a few minutes during the March 22 episode of The Late Late Show to share his thoughts on Wednesday's Westminster attack, in which four people died (including a police officer and the accused attacker) and at least 29 were hurt. The British comedian sent a somber message of solidarity to English viewers and members of his staff.
"I don't know if anybody saw the news today, but there was a terror attack in my hometown, the city of London in Westminster," Corden began. "While we're filming this, it's still unknown what the motives were. What we do know at this point is that people have lost their lives and many, many more have been injured."
While the assailant carried out his attacks alone, ramming a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and fatally stabbing British police officer Keith Palmer before he himself was shot to death, the BBC reported on Thursday (March 23) that eight people have been arrested in connection.
"I know a lot of people in England watch this show, and there's a lot of people from Britain who work on this show. And of course, our thoughts go out to everyone who’s been affected by this," he continued, before getting slightly emotional.
"Watching the news today, I felt a really long, long way from home," Corden admitted. "And it's funny, when something like that happens in your hometown, you don’t have a feeling of being glad that you're so far away. What you feel is that you wish you could be there with loved ones to stand alongside them.”
Corden echoed UK Prime Minister Theresa May's sentiment that the events won't shake his native city's foundations. "London is a diverse and proud and brilliant city, and one thing is for sure: if this act of terrorism was supposed to divide the people of London, I know for a fact that all something like this does is bring them closer together as one. Tonight we send our heartfelt thoughts to everybody in Britain. Stay safe everybody, please."
As news of the attacks unfolded on social media yesterday, photos and messages observed the bravery of first responders, police and fellow citizens helping one another. Member of Parliament Tobias Ellwood was photographed administering CPR to injured officer Parker, though unfortunately, his injuries proved too severe.
American and UK-born stars, including Niall Horan, Cara Delevingne and Ellen DeGeneres, shared their own messages in support of the victims; see celebrities' reactions to the Westminster attack below.
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