James Corden got more cringes than chuckles while trying to bring the laughs at this weekend’s Breakthrough Prize Ceremony in Los Angeles.
In a clip from Saturday’s event shared by the Daily Mail, the former late night host joked, “Tonight is the one night that Hollywood and science come together.”
“Other than, of course, that one magical evening where Dr. [Anthony] Fauci had a one-night stand with Dame Judi Dench,” he added, referencing the White House’s chief medical adviser from the COVID era.
The imagined tryst between the infectious disease expert and British screen legend landed with a resounding thud.
When cameras cut to the crowd, Olivia Wilde was seen wide-eyed and slack-jawed.
The broadcast didn’t capture reactions from other A-listers in attendance, which included Rupert Murdoch, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bezos, Lizzo, Mark Zuckerberg and Gal Gadot.
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It’s unclear why Corden, who has hosted the event since 2020, decided to pair up Dench and Fauci for the gag.
Each year, the Breakthrough Prize honors achievements in mathematics, physics and life sciences, awarding $3 million to each of its laureates.