James Corden Criticized For Handing Out Puppies As ‘Consolation Prizes’ At The Grammys

Pretty much everyone can agree that puppies are adorable. And they’re certainly a great way to cheer people up — which is probably what James Corden had in mind when he jokingly handed out puppies as “consolation prizes” to non-Grammy winners at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards on Jan. 28. Although the puppies were very cute, critics have said the bit was problematic and have taken to the internet to voice their concerns.

Everyone is wondering where these puppies were sourced from in the first place and what happened to them after the awards show. The celebs most likely didn’t actually take them home, after all. There’s no information about exactly what happened to the puppies after the show or where they were sourced from, but Simplemost has reached out to the Grammy Awards and James Corden’s rep for comment.

Several animal organizations are outraged by the idea of puppies as a prize, as owning an animal is a serious responsibility with some important duties that should be thought through.

Nevertheless, the puppies did bring a moment of joy to those who received them, especially comedian Jerry Seinfeld:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr7GTRj4t4w

An Instagram post from Seinfeld’s wife Jessica Seinfeld confirmed that the celebs did not get to keep the puppies. “What happened to our puppy. Where is he. They took a piece of my heart when they took him away,” she wrote on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BelXR-7ghWN/?hl=en&taken-by=jessseinfeld

PETA, Other Groups Tweet Disapproval

Wide Open Pets, a site focused on pets and farm animals who live in the Heartland, criticized the “consolation puppies” idea. The site pointed out that the Grammys could have shared statistics about animal shelters and animal adoption in other to create awareness. That would have been more powerful than just a cute stunt.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Twitter account also voiced concerns with using puppies as a present, writing, “Very disappointed that the #GRAMMYs chose to gift puppies as a joke. Animals are not toys.”

And the Twitter account for the UK’s Labour Animal Rights group followed suit tweeting, “RETWEET if you agree @JKCorden and the organisers of the #GRAMMYs should be ashamed of themselves for giving puppies away as prizes. Dogs are intelligent sentient beings not props, toys, or accessories!”

Corden’s Dad Defends Him

Corden’s father, Malcom Corden, attended the Grammys to watch his son host and he called into a radio show named Leading Britain’s Conversation to set the record straight about his son’s intentions.

“…[A]s you were alluding to, it was a bit of fun,” he said on the radio show. “Almost as soon as the camera [was turned off] the puppy was handed back to the handler as were all the puppies,” he said. “It was a lovely moment that just lightened the mood.”

As for the dogs having to endure loud noises (which was a concern of many online), he said, “It was a very quiet moment in the show, there was no loud noises.” And when they weren’t in the audience, Corden wasn’t certain where they were kept, but said the pups “must have been cared for somewhere in Madison Square Garden.”

We’re grateful that a discussion about caring for animals has come out of this incident. After all, raising an animal is a serious commitment!

What do you think about puppies being passed out at the awards show? Was it harmless fun or putting the puppies at risk?