JAMES Corden has been slammed for hosting the hotly-anticipated Friends reunion special.
Furious fans of the much-loved series questioned what the British actor and comedian has to do with the iconic show.
James made an appearance in the trailer for Friends: The Reunion, which dropped on Wednesday evening.
While viewers rejoiced at the sight of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc back together, they were less than impressed with James’ role in the reboot.
One raged on Twitter: “Was pretty much up for watching that Friends Reunion, then I heard James Corden’s voice on the trailer and I was a little bit sick in my mouth.”
Another added: “So all these people could’ve been a part of the friends reunion but Warner Bros chose Justin Bieber and James Corden.”
A third claimed one of the show’s recurring guest stars like Paul Rudd [Phoebe’s husband Mike Hanigan] or Christina Applegate [Rachel’s sister Amy] should have been the host.
“It should have been Paul Rudd and Christina Applegate on the guest starring friends reunion but we got Bieber & James Corden,” they fumed.
Other fans thought Jimmy Kimmel – who hosted a 2014 special with the Friends cast – would have been a better fit.
James shot to fame on British series Gavin & Stacey before cracking the US in 2015 with his hugely popular talk show, The Late Late Show with James Corden.
Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry all broke down in tears on the reunion show’s first trailer.
The reunion is set to air on May 27 with many guests, including Maggie Wheeler, who played Janice, and Tom Selleck, who played Richard Burke.
The trailer begins with David Schwimmer, who played Ross, hosting a trivia night with the cast, asking them important events froJames m the show, which last aired in 2004.
Matt Le Blanc, who played Joey, and Jennifer team up to answer that Rachel had written Ross an “18-page letter front and back” before they got back together.
The trailer featured the moment when the cast reunited for the first time in set and exchanged hugs.
As the cast reunited in front of a Covid safe audience, they talked about their bond, with Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe, saying: “We have such a bond because of this show.”
The cast was then continuously hugging and reaching for each other as they played out some of their fans’ favorite scenes, including the moment Phoebe finds out about Monica and Chandler’s relationship.
The trailer also features some of the most iconic outfits and costumes from the show, like Ross’s Holiday Armadillo and the terrible bridesmaids outfits that Rachel rocked for her ex-fiance’s wedding.
Lisa even pulls out her guitar to play a recent rendition of Smelly Cat.
Earlier this month, The Celeb Report revealed how producers roped in some of the world’s biggest stars for cameo appearances.
Justin Bieber filmed scenes wearing Ross Geller’s famous “Spudnik” potato costume from eighth-season episode The One With The Halloween Party.
Other guests are thought to include James Corden, David Beckham, Cara Delevingne, Lady Gaga and Reese Witherspoon.
Courteney revealed to Ellen DeGeneres that she was left “so emotional” after she reunited with her Friends cast.
She said: “It was so unbelievable, so emotional. It’s an unscripted reunion and we got to be on Stage 24 for the first time all of us in, I forget how many years. 15 years? 17 years?
“It was great. It was really fun. We had a lot of special surprises – and it was fantastic. It really was.”
