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James Corden condemns ‘backward’ US gun laws after Texas school shooting leaves 19 children dead

James Corden has spoken out against gun laws in the US, in the wake of a school shooting in Texas that left 19 children and two adults dead.

Speaking during a monologue after the recording of his show on Tuesday, The Late Late Show host said the thought of his child being in a school shooting is “beyond comprehension”.

“As a father, I can’t imagine the horror of that phone call,” he said. “When I dropped my kids off at school this morning and kissed them goodbye, it doesn’t cross your mind that that could ever be the last goodbye.

“And the thought of that phone call, that your child is the victim in a mass shooting is beyond comprehension as a human being.”

He continued: “I’m so deeply sad for the families of these children, the trauma of the survivors and for the future these kids will never see. It doesn’t make sense to me. It doesn’t reflect the country that I think America is, the America I have always admired.

“You have a problem, you solve it.”

Families hug outside a centre where grief counseling will be offered in Uvalde following a school shooting (AFP via Getty Images)
Families hug outside a centre where grief counseling will be offered in Uvalde following a school shooting (AFP via Getty Images)

Corden said that, when it comes to gun laws, America is “one of the most backward places in the world”.

“This year, there have been no school shootings in England, there have been no school shootings in Japan. This year, there have been no school shootings in Australia,” he pointed out.

“This year, there have been 27 school shootings in America and 212 mass shootings and we are just five months into the year.”

He added: “I’ll probably be stood here in a week or two, talking about another place. Words of thoughts and prayers will come from our leaders but I fear change never will.

“I hold out hope that this country will eventually change this senseless gun culture and my heart simply goes out to every person in Texas tonight.”

Other US stars including Taylor Swift, Simu Liu, and Amy Schumer have also expressed their shock and anger over the tragedy, as well as actor Matthew McConaughey, who is from the town of Uvalde, where the shooting took place.

Follow live updates on the shooting here.