James Corden Reveals Plans to End 'The Late Late Show'
James Corden still has a few months left on The Late Late Show on CBS, but he is already making plans for his departure. This week, Corden was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon where Fallon asked him what he was going to do for his grand finale in late night TV. Corden admitted that he would be happy just to keep his composure during the final show.
"My biggest plan, well, my intention which I think I'll fail at dramatically is to just not be just like crying for the entire hour but I think I will be," Corden joked. "Our intention is to go out in the way that we came in and I will miss it hugely. I will miss it every day. I will miss the people that I worked with." Corden announced back in April that he will be leaving The Late Late Show in "mid-2023." An exact date for that departure hasn't been revealed yet, but it's clear it will be an emotional time for Corden.
Corden also gave a clearer explanation of his plan to leave the show in his interview with Fallon. He said he does love his job, but he wants his family to be able to live in his home in England, not in New York City. He said: "We're a long way from home and we really want our children to know what it's like to grow up in London... To have a solid relationship with their grandparents and that is time that you don't get back."
Corden concluded that it will be "hard to let go" for him, but that "it's the right thing to do" for his whole family. The comedian is the fourth host of The Late Late Show on CBS. The show first aired in 1995 with host Tom Snyder, who was followed by Craig Kilborn in 1999 and then Craig Ferguson in 2005. Corden took over in 2015.
The Late Late Show is often perceived as a stepping stone to more high-profile work in the entertainment industry, but so far Corden has not announced any plans for the future. CBS and Paramount have not announced any plans for who might follow Corden – if anyone. With the simultaneous departure of Trevor Noah from The Daily Show and the outright cancellation of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, the whole late-night TV industry is in a state of flux.
Corden announced his plans to leave The Late Late Show on air earlier this year. He said: "When I started this journey, it was always going to be just that – it was going to be a journey, an adventure. I never saw it as my final destination, and I never want this show to overstay its welcome. I always want to love making it. I really think in a year from now will be a good time to move on to see what else is out there. We all determined to make this the best year we have ever had. We are going to go out with a bang... there'll be tears, so many tears because this has been the hardest decision I've ever had to make. I never took this for granted, ever."