The World Cup is officially underway now that Alexi Lalas has said something controversial to catch everyone by surprise.
During Friday’s World Cup coverage on Fox, host Rebecca Lowe promoted James Corden’s new late-night TV show After Hours. The limited-run show will air nightly on Fox during the World Cup, and after airing a clip from the comedy hour, Lowe said, “Can we talk about James Corden?” likely thinking of it as a good way to promote After Hours for the network. But she may have regretted bringing up the topic once Lalas got started on Corden.
Did Alexi Lalas just say “wanker” on national TV 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/grKNlK0n4d
— InAllKindsOfWeather.com (@AllKindsWeather) June 12, 2026
“What do you guys call him?” Lalas asked eagerly. “Full kit wanker, right?”
Corden was wearing soccer gear in the After Hours clip they showed before inviting Lalas to talk about the late-night host. And by definition, a “full kit wanker” is an adult wearing soccer attire when they’re not actually playing in a match. But that doesn’t change the fact that Lalas dropped the W-bomb, which is a vulgar insult in England. And his co-hosts did little to defend Lalas or temper any potential backlash.
Thierry Henry’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor while Zlatan Ibrahimović could only say “whoa” after hearing Lalas talk about Corden.
“Did he just say that?” Henry asked.
Yes, yes, he did. “Luckily we’re on American television,” Lowe noted. “Because the W word on British TV…” is a big no-no.
Corden probably won’t appreciate the adjective choice. But at least this clip will likely get Corden and After Hours more attention than any other promotion Fox could have offered.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com