Carpool Karaoke is coming to an end as we know it. At least on The Late Late Show. It has been announced that James Corden is set to leave the late-night series in 2023. Corden extended his contract with CBS for one year and will then leave The Late Late Show ahead of summer 2023, per Deadline.
Corden will have hosted The Late Late Show for eight and a half years by the time he ends his run. It’s a decision that he has been mulling over for a while now and while he acknowledges it was a hard decision, he felt this was the time to look into something new. Here is what he had to say about his decision to call it quits:
“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]. 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.”
James Corden took over The Late Late Show on March 23, 2015, following the departure of Craig Ferguson, who hosted the show for nine years. At the time, Corden was a bit of a surprise choice but his humor and high energy reinvigorated the 12:30 AN time slot on CBS. Corden also created a series of viral segments, particularly Carpool Karaoke, Drop the Mic, Spill Your Guts, and Crosswalk Musical, that set his show apart from the others. For example, Corden’s Carpool Karaoke segment with singer Adele has been watched more than 250 million times on YouTube and The Late Late Show YouTube page has had nearly 10 billion views and more than 27 million subscribers. This makes it the second-highest in late-night on YouTube. President and CEO George Cheeks had this to say about Corden’s departure:
“Seven years ago, James Corden came to the U.S. and took television by storm, with huge creative and comedic swings that resonated in a big way with viewers on-air and online. From Crosswalk the Musical to the legendary Carpool Karaoke, and every unique comedy segment he introduced, James has truly reimagined many elements of the late night format. He has also been the consummate network showman, entertaining audiences from his nightly perch at Television City as well as the Tony and Grammy stage. In my two years at CBS, I’ve had the privilege to see James’ creative genius up close and experience his valuable partnership with CBS, both as a performer and a producer. We wish he could stay longer, but we are very proud he made CBS his American home and that this partnership will extend one more season on The Late Late Show.”
What happens now with the show is up in the air. CBS hasn’t made a decision about who will replace Corden. As for Corden himself, there has been a lot of speculation about whether he would exit the show and return to the UK with his family but he hasn’t decided what his exact move will be yet. Corden is a bit of a unique figure in late-night because his career actually expands beyond that format. He has starred in films such as Into The Woods, Peter Rabbit, Cats, and The Prom, where he received his first Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor, and he hosted HBO Max’s Friends: The Reunion, while he was hosting a nightly talk show. He is also a partner in Fulwell 73, the production company responsible for Hulu’s The Kardashians and Camila Cabello’s Cinderella.
Are YOU sad to see James Corden go?