James Corden has reigned on The Late Late Show on CBS for the better part of a decade.
Despite major, often surprising film roles, he’s still better known for Carpool Karaoke than for Cats.
Now, that time is coming to an end.
On Thursday, it was revealed that Corden’s run as a late night host is on its last leg.
It’s the end of an era — for better or for worse, depending upon whom you ask.
James Corden took over The Late Late Show from Craig Ferguson back in March of 2015.
He has now signed a new contract … one that denotes his exit date from the CBS gig.
Corden’s new contract extends his obligations to the talk show, but only by one year.
Before the summer of 2023 begins, he will depart from the show.
As the news broke, Corden even gave a statement on what he says was a difficult move.
“It’s been it’s a really hard decision to leave,” Corden admitted to Deadline.
He explained that the choice was a struggle “because I’m so immensely proud of the show.”
Corden expressed: “I’m thrilled to be extending [for a year].”
“I always thought I’d do it for five years and then leave,” Corden confessed.
“And then,” he recalled, “I stayed on.”
Corden continued: “I’ve really been thinking about it for a long time, thinking whether there might be one more adventure.”
“My bosses here at CBS have been incredibly supportive,” Corden praised.
“And,” he continued, “extraordinarily patient with me while I made this decision.”
Many have credited him with elevating The Late Late Show, particularly with the one thing that even non-viewers cannot escape: Carpool Karaoke segments.
CBS President and CEO George Cheeks released a statement alongside the news.
“Seven years ago, James Corden came to the U.S. and took television by storm,” the statement recalled.
Cheeks continued: “With huge creative and comedic swings that resonated in a big way with viewers on-air and online.”
“James has truly reimagined many elements of the late night format,” Cheeks praised.
The statement emphasized a wistful desire that Corden “could stay longer,” he knows that this is not the reality.
Instead, Cheeks affirmed that he is “very proud [Corden] made CBS his American home.”
Corden’s apparent popularity on late night has led him to branch out into acting, sometimes turning up in surprising places.
This has, as we have alluded while covering the news of his upcoming departure, led to some considerably mixed feelings about his role in entertainment.
Corden’s sometimes poor taste in humor aside, some feel that he is cast in certain productions — like Ocean’s 8 — where the audience does not enjoy him as much as late night does.
Twitter immediately began cracking jokes after the announcement, with Sam Greisman “congratulating” him on being cast in the Wicked films.
He of course meant it in jest, but many Twitter users cringed, worrying that it was a little too close to reality about a man who appeared in Cats, Into The Woods, and Cinderella.
As former fans of Chris Pratt have discovered, there is such a thing as overexposure in entertainment, especially if people aren’t sure that they like you to begin with.
Even so, Corden obviously has his fans.
It is good to remember that Twitter, where people share opinions that they might not around the proverbial water cooler, does not represent the wider population.
And whatever his critics may think of him, we’ve learned amazing things about beloved stars on Carpool Karaoke.
The Late Late Show Carpool Karaoke Prime Time Special—a CBS primetime version of the popular segment—has even earned Corden two Emmys.