James Corden Says Family Has Final Say On Chester Bennington’s ‘Carpool Karaoke’ Episode, Talinda Thanks Host
Chester Bennington’s wife Talinda Bentley expressed her heartfelt gratitude to TV host James Corden for giving her and family the final say on the late singer’s Carpool Karaoke episode.
Prior to his untimely death, Chester Bennington and his Linkin Park bandmates filmed an episode of James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke: The Series for Apple Music. Apparently, the band recorded the episode on July 14, nearly one week before Bennington was found dead in his Palos Verdes home.
Now, avid fans of Chester and Linkin Park have been wondering whether the episode ever sees the light of day, especially after the tragic death of the singer. Well, that will “completely” depend on Bennington’s family, according to Corden.
On Tuesday, the Late Late Show host revealed to Associated Press that Bennington’s family will get to decide if the episode will make its way on national TV. James reiterated that they will approach the matter in whichever way Chester’s family would like it to be handled.
“We will navigate it as delicately as possible and just adhere to whatever wishes they would want because I don’t think there’s any other way we could deal with it, really.”
Corden added that at this point, they just want to show respect and give Bennington’s grieving family all the time they need to decide, especially since they’re still at a very difficult stage in their lives.
Meanwhile, Eric Pankowski, the showrunner of Carpool Karaoke: The Series, shared James’ sentiments, adding that they have been in contact with Linkin Park and the vocalist’s family, as well as all the representatives of the band.
“We’re going to work with them to find the best and most respectful way forward on the episode.”
Fun day with @kenjeong @CarpoolKaraoke @AppleMusic – stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/v8tSBG1cwF
— LINKIN PARK (@linkinpark) July 14, 2017
Meanwhile, Talinda showed appreciation for James’ gesture. Chester’s widow took to Twitter and reached out to the Carpool Karaoke host, thanking him for allowing her and her family to decide on the episode.
It remains unclear whether the entire episode will not be aired or if some parts, particularly those with Chester, will be edited as per family’s request.
Thank you @JKCorden https://t.co/VmXOKgNN89
— Talinda Bennington (@TalindaB) August 9, 2017
Linkin Park’s Carpool Karaoke: The Series episode was originally scheduled to air in October. The band guested alongside actor Ken Jeong.
Carpool Karaoke: The Series is a 16-episode standalone show based on James Corden’s the Late Late Show segment. Corden also serves as the executive producer of the series.
[Featured Images by Stephen Shugerman, Theo Wargo/Getty Images]
