EXCLUSIVE: James Corden quits the Late Late Show despite ‘desperate’ efforts by CBS to keep him: Host to step down at end of his eighth season and plans to spend more time in UK with his family
- James Corden is leaving The Late Late Show after next season, DailyMail.com can confirm
- A senior CBS source revealed that the decision to step down was Corden’s and added that the network ‘desperately tried to keep him for longer’
- The Late Late Show is currently in season 7 and Corden’s tenure will end with the completion of season 8 in 2023
- ‘He’s been such a hit for us for so many years, we will miss him very much,’ a network source told DailyMail.com
- The Late Late Show premiered in 1995 with Tom Snyder as host, Corden took over in 2015 following Craig Kilborn and Craig Ferguson
James Corden will step down as the host of The Late Late Show at the end of next season amid plans to spend more time back home in the UK, DailyMail.com can confirm.
The Brit, 43, made the decision to quit at the end of season eight despite the best efforts of CBS executives who exclusively told DailyMail.com that they ‘desperately tried to keep him for longer.’
The star and his wife of 10 years Jules are mulling over a return to the UK with three children Max, 11, Charlotte, four, and Carey, seven, but they are still trying to ‘figure out’ what’s next for the family.
An insider tells DailyMail.com that spending more time in the UK when the show ends is ‘definitely on the horizon’.
The Late Late Show, which films out of Los Angeles, first premiered in 1995 with host Tom Snyder. Craig Kilborn and Craig Ferguson followed as host until James Corden came along in 2015.
He’s out! James Corden will step down as the host of The Late Late Show at the end of next season, DailyMail.com can confirm
‘We [CBS] desperately tried to keep him for longer but James only wanted to do one final year that will keep him on the show until next year,’ a senior CBS source revealed. ‘He’s been such a hit for us for so many years, we will miss him very much.’
‘It’s very rare to find a talent who can redefine a long running format. His skits went viral globally, smashing records and creating the most watched online clips in the history of late night TV,’ they continued.
‘The biggest stars in the world have appeared on his show – which even took him to the White House!’
Corden told Deadline it’s been a difficult decision and admits he’s mulling over the idea of a return to the UK with his family.
‘It’s been it’s a really hard decision to leave because I’m so immensely proud of the show. I’m thrilled to be extending [for a year],’ Corden told Deadline. ‘I always thought I’d do it for five years and then leave and then I stayed on. I’ve really been thinking about it for a long time, thinking whether there might be one more adventure.’
When asked if he plans to move home, Corden said he and his wife ‘genuinely don’t know the answer to that’.
‘It’s something we think about and we talk about a lot but we haven’t really made a decision on that yet. That’s the life side of things which we’ll figure out,’ he added.
‘I love living here [in LA]. I love everything it’s given. My family and I have never taken this incredible adventure for granted. Every day I drive down Sunset to work and I just think I’m from High Wycombe.’
He did admit he’s eager to spend more time with his close pal Mark Noble, captain of his beloved West Ham United, who is retiring at the end of this season.
‘He’s the happiest that I’m not leaving in September because he’s desperate to get out and play some golf,’ Corden laughs.
‘I’ll have been here for eight and a half years, he’s been at that club since he was nine. Nothing makes me happier to be thought of in the same breath as Mark Noble but I would be undeserving of such praise.’
But Corden admits it will be a bittersweet farewell for him.
‘I’ll miss the adrenaline of thinking ‘Next week I’m going to jump out of a plane with Tom Cruise or in two weeks’ time, we’re going to drive around the White House in a car with Michelle Obama or sing Penny Lane with Paul McCartney driving down Penny Lane,’ he said.
An insider added to DailyMail: ‘What’s next? Well James is focused on producing a really spectacular current and final season of the show.’
‘He’ll also be launching Mammals in autumn (Fall), which he is excited about.’
‘However more time in the UK after filming wraps is definitely on the horizon as he is very close with his family there.’
Under Corden’s tenure at The Late Late Show, he developed smash hit segments like Carpool Karaoke, where he drives a celebrity around and they sing together. Carpool Karaoke was later spun off into its own show for Apple in 2017 and even took home an Emmy Award. It currently in season five.
‘We [CBS] desperately tried to keep him for longer but James only wanted to do one final year that will keep him on the show until next year,’ a senior CBS source revealed. ‘He’s been such a hit for us for so many years, we will miss him very much.’
‘He told us that he has had an amazing time and is incredibly grateful to CBS but feels now is right time to go out on a high and make his final year the biggest one yet,’ a CBS source said.
‘James and the show have won countless Emmys, he’s won a Critics Choice as well as winning a Tony Award in 2012 before taking his post at CBS. He immediately won critics and fans over as well as the huge celebrities he managed to secure.’
The father-of-three has previously referred to his team on the show as his family and even paid them out of his own pocket during the pandemic.
James’ time at the network has not been without controversy, however. In 2021, the show was forced to change one of Corden’s more famous skits, Spill Your Guts, after it as accused of being anti-Asian.
Issues: James’ time at the network has not been without controversy, however. In 2021, the show was forced to change one of Corden’s more famous skits, Spill Your Guts, after it as accused of being anti-Asian
The segment, which has featured stars such as Justin Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Chrissy Teigen, sees participants presented with the choice of either answering a prying question or eating something dubbed ‘gross’.
Several of the unpalatable items hailed from Asian culture and Corden himself had called many of them ‘disgusting.’
Last summer, a TikTok user launched the Change.org petition which garnered nearly 50,000 signatures and James later announced on the Howard Stern Show that he would no longer use Asian foods in the segment.
Beyond his own show, James hosted the Tony Awards and Grammy Awards, as well as fronting other prime time shows for CBS and the Friends reunion for HBO Max.
He also has a film career starring in movies like Peter Rabbit, Prom, Into the Woods, Trolls and Cats.
He will appear in a new Prime Video drama, Mammals, later this year – his first British TV role since his Gavin And Stacey Christmas special broke records as the most watched non spring event in the UK of the last decade.
Leading man: The Late Late Show premiered in 1995 with Tom Snyder as host, Corden took over in 2015 following Craig Kilborn and Craig Ferguson
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