What To Know
- During a live World Cup broadcast, Alexi Lalas shocked his Fox panelists by using a British insult towards James Corden.
- The remark caused visible surprise and awkward laughter among the panel.
World Cup pundit Alexi Lalas got a lesson in real time in how certain words and jokes don’t always translate when he dropped an expletive during a live broadcast, leaving his fellow Fox panelists stunned after he directed a profane insult at James Corden.
Before the Group B match between Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday, June 12, Fox aired a promotional spot for FIFA World Cup on FOX After Hours With James Corden, the network’s new late-night show hosted by Corden. Following the video, fellow pundits asked Alexi Lalas for his thoughts on Corden during the live broadcast.
“Can we talk about James Corden for a second?” host Rebecca Lowe asked.
“What do you guys call them? A … full kit w**ker, right?” responded Lalas. “He’s all dressed up and ready to go.”
The effect was immediate. Panelist Thierry Henry looked directly into the camera, visibly stunned, while Zlatan Ibrahimović could only respond with, “Whoa.”
“Did he just say that?” said Henry.
Lowe quickly tried to smooth things over by stating, “Lucky we are on American television, because the W-word on British TV would have caused a lot more trouble.” The awkward exchange left the panel laughing nervously as they moved on from the unexpected live-TV moment.
For folks outside the know of British slang, a “full kit w*****” is used in soccer culture to mock an adult who wears the complete professional playing uniform in public, outside of actually playing a match. It’s typically used to make fun of someone who is taking their fandom a bit too seriously. In the video that Lalas was referencing, Corden appears dressed head-to-toe in USA soccer gear.
The expletive doesn’t quite hold the same meaning in the States as it does in the U.K., so it is probably not likely that Lalas will face much scrutiny for the profanity on live television, though few mistook the “full-kit” part of his comment for a similar-sounding curse word.
FIFA World Cup on FOX After Hours With James Corden premiered on Thursday, June 11, following that day’s World Cup matches at midnight ET. Each live episode runs for one hour, with new episodes airing nightly throughout the tournament. While the 2026 FIFA World Cup runs from June 11 through July 19, FIFA World Cup on FOX After Hours With James Corden is scheduled to air through July 15.
The 2026 World Cup officially began with the Group Stage on June 11.