Last week, Bill Maher dedicated a segment on Real Time to the growing obesity epidemic in America, where, among other comments, he suggested fat-shaming needs to “make a comeback†and explained how “fat isn’t a birth defect.†Now, Maher’s fellow late-night host James Corden is retaliating with his own segment on The Late Late Show about fat-shaming, hoping to reverse-shame Maher into rethinking his “insensitive†remarks. “Fat-shaming never went anywhere. Ask literally any fat person, we are reminded of it all the time,†Corden said in his eight-minute monologue. “There’s a common and insulting misconception that fat people are stupid and lazy and we’re not. We get it, we know. We know that being overweight isn’t good for us and I’ve struggled my entire life trying to manage my weight and I suck at it. Let’s be honest, fat-shaming is just bullying. And bullying just makes the problem worse.â€
Corden added that while he’s been on diets for as long as he “can remember,†he’s never been ashamed of his overweight body, and never will be. “We’re not all as lucky as Bill Maher. We don’t all have a sense of superiority that burns 35,000 calories a day,†Corden concluded. “While you’re encouraging people to think about what goes into their mouths, just think a little harder about what comes out of yours.†Maher, for what it’s worth, didn’t address Corden’s comments on Friday evening’s Real Time.