Sorry, James Corden!
I’m not a huge practical joker, but every once in a while, I do enjoy goofing on someone.
Like the time I had my wonderful assistant, Lauren, call my gynecologist for some test results. Little did she know that I had convinced the receptionist to tell her — somewhat awkwardly — that my pregnancy test had come back positive. (Don’t worry, I was 50 and wasn’t pregnant). The look on her face was priceless. She was red as a beet and started sweating. I thought it was hilarious.
Then there was the time we were on vacation and filled up the conditioner bottle with Al Fresco sauce. Ellie’s friend Hillary came out of the shower smelling like a… pasta special?
But the best April Fools’ joke EVER was not even my idea. James Corden’s The Late Late Show had just started, and I was going to be a guest. The producer called and asked if I’d be game to have a stunt double fall down the stairs during “my” entrance. James had apparently been worrying about this happening for weeks before the show premiered. Of course I was willing!
I was instructed to wear a simple black dress… but I wanted to REALLY fool James, so I ordered the same colorful Carmen Marc Valvo dress I was wearing for my “body double,” a fantastic stunt woman named Heidi.
As is customary, James greeted me in my dressing room before the show. I made sure he got a good look at my dress. When it was time for me to make my grand entrance and pull the curtain back, my stunt double (wearing the dress and a wig to match my hair) pretended she was fiddling with her shoe. She then tripped and did a convincing tumble all the way down the stairs.
The studio went quiet. James rushed to her, now sprawled on the ground and groaning. I couldn’t bear the thought of him having a heart attack, so I quickly appeared at the top of the stairs and screamed, “April Fools! April Fools! April Fools!” I couldn’t believe we pulled it off.
Not surprisingly, the clip went viral. This was seven years ago, but every year, I have to put it back into circulation. I don’t think I’ll ever pull off such a funny gag again.
So here it is, folks, once again. And I hope James has finally recovered!
