James Corden and Ariana Grande’s end-of-lockdown musical skit criticised as ‘tone deaf’ and ‘privileged bs’

‘What in the first world country bulls*** is this?’ asked one user

James Corden and Ariana Grande put on a Hairspray-inspired musical skit to celebrate the loosening of lockdown in the US – but viewers are calling it “tone deaf”.

To celebrate the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in the US, James Corden joined forces with the Grammy Award-winner and Broadway star Marissa Janet Winkour to perform a mini-musical.

The short video aired on Tuesday night’s episode of The Late Late Show (15 June).

The trio appeared against a city backdrop with backup dancers to perform “No Lockdowns Anymore” to the tune of the hit Hairspray number “Good Morning Baltimore”.

It featured lyrics such as: “Got the vaccine and it’s been two weeks. There’s life in the streets! Hot people at brunch, and I’ve got a hunch, mimosas are gonna be bottomless.”

However, many viewers did not receive the skit positively, with people taking to social media to comment on how “privileged” and “cringe” it came across.

“It’s cringe all the way through,” wrote one person, while another added: “What fresh hell is this?”

“Y’all be sucking the fun out of everything,” said someone else, with another user echoing: “If there’s one thing the pandemic has proved is that pandemic related art is awful.”

celebrities did NOT have the same lockdown experiences as the rest of us did so cut this “relatable” bulls***!! https://t.co/s5YKh09wWD

— ً (@selnwr) June 16, 2021

A fifth person wrote: “I hate rich people so much,” while another commented: “What in the first world country bulls*** is this?”

“If privilege was a song,” wrote another person. Someone else added: “pls bc this is the most tone deaf thing i’ve seen in a while.”

“Celebrities did NOT have the same lockdown experiences as the rest of us did so cut this ‘relatable’ bulls***!!” wrote another user.

Someone wrote: “Rich people will never realise that the pandemic is more than just ‘oh my god I’m so bored can’t wait to get out of my house!’ can’t understand what’s there to celebrate when millions of people died and are still dying but who cares we are rich and privileged <3.”

One person wrote: “First world thingz,” with another adding: “This is some privileged a** bs.”

Others, however, have defended the clip from the criticism. “I promise you it’s not that serious, it’s something fun for the summertime,” said one person.