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In a comedic and epic international dodgeball game hosted by James Corden, he faced off against Michelle Obama on Monday’s episode of The Late Late Show.
It all started when Former First Lady Michelle Obama and late-night host James Corden got into a debate over whether or not Americans or British are better at sports. Things got heated after Corden declares that British people are better at sports than Americans. Obama argues, “I don’t think that’s true and, if it is, you have nothing to do with it.” The two later challenge each other to a game of dodgeball to see which country is better at the sport. They both recruited some celebrity pals and had a patriotic friendly competition between each other.
Obama enlisted an all-star female team which included Kate Hudson, Melissa McCarthy, Allison Janney, Lena Waithe, and Mila Kunis. “I’ve made some calls and let’s just say this team is going to eat them for breakfast,” Obama says of her team. “You would not believe how easy it was to get people to do this. All I had to say was, ‘you’re going to throw a ball at James Corden.”
“When Michelle Obama calls and asks you to do anything, you just say yes,” Kunis says.
Corden’s all-male team consisted of Harry Styles, Benedict Cumberbatch, John Bradley, and Reggie Watts (who isn’t actually British).
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On the other hand, Styles described a different reaction when he was asked to participate in the game. “When James Corden calls you, you initially ignore the call but then he keeps calling you and then starts texting… then he shows up at your house, your work, your hairdresser, your Pilates class and your shower.”
Before the game began, each team is warming up, with McCarthy comically advised Janney on the rules of dodgeball after she kept mistaking it for football. Corden and Obama attempted to motivate their team with a motivational pep talk. “Strength is not measured by how you throw the ball. It is measured in here,” Obama says as she puts her hand over her heart. “When they go low, we also go low because that’s how dodgeball works.”
“Of course we’re going to win. It’s Obama. It’s Michelle Obama. We’re winners,” Waithe declares.
During the first round, Styles became the final player from Team U.K to take on USA. Corden had to regroup from their loss as they are shown having a tea party. “It’s a smashing game,” Corden said, as they all mingle. For round two, McCarthy and Obama were taken out, leaving Kunis ad Waithe to try to win the round, but ended up losing to Corden and his team.
As the competition started heating up, Cumberbatch approached Obama during their break and asked him to sign his copy of her boom Becoming. “I’ve never done this before but would you mind signing this?” The rest of his team proceeds to form a line to ask Obama to sign their books as well. Corden yells at his team “traitor.”
In round three, Cumberbatch was the sole last player standing for the U.K team, against Kunis and Hudson. The actresses beat Cumberbatch leaving Team USA the declared winners.
“How does it feel to lose?” Janney teases to Corden. He begins to lie about not feeling anything over their loss. “At the end of the day, we showed kids that exercise. can be fun. I can’t even remember who won or lost,” he says. “Oh, you lost. We won,” Obama brags, leaving Corden to walk away speechless.
Watch the full UK vs USA Dodgeball game below!
Featured Image: (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)
