James Corden explains the real reason he's leaving The Late Late Show this week
James Corden explains the real reason he's leaving The Late Late Show this week
James Corden is set to host his last ever Late Late Show this week, having held the position for eight years.
Given how wildly successful the show has been, it's a little surprising to some fans that Corden is throwing in the towel at the top of his game.
But the Gavin & Stacey creator has a very good reason for quitting while he's ahead.
Advert
Ahead of the final show, which is set to have both Harry Styles and Will Ferrell as guests, Corden spoke to fellow chat show host Drew Barrymore about why he decided to say goodbye to The Late Late Show.
"It's not easy in any way to walk away from something that is so - I'll never work in a better environment than the one I work in now," he admitted.
"Nothing about leaving the show was to do with not enjoying it, I love it.
"But the truth is, it became a very easy decision because I always knew it was an adventure, and I never ever considered it to be the final destination."
Detailing the moment he knew he'd had enough of The Late Late Show, Corden continued: "When I was shooting the show Mammals two summers ago, one day I was filming on a Sunday and I came downstairs, it was about 6am and my son, who was ten at the time, was sat on the stairs.
"And he said, 'Are you working today?' And I said, 'I am'. And he said, 'But it's Sunday'.
"And I said, 'I know, buddy, but the schedule is just so all over the place, [I've] just got to get it done because I only have a tiny amount of time before we have to go back and do the [Late Late] show'.
"And his face just kind of dropped. And I got in the car and I called my wife Jules and I said, 'I've realised, best case scenario, we have six more summers where Max even remotely wants to be around us. And I cannot waste another one'."
Kids grow up fast, and, as Corden noted in his interview with Barrymore, there'll come a time when they won't think their dad is cool, or want to hang out with him anymore.
"So, really, the choice was to go, well if I want to do this other work, that cannot be at the expense of our children and our family. And that is really all it comes down to," Corden explained, being met with a round of applause.
He added: "I will be a mess on that last show. I will cry my eyes out, but I will know in my core that the best thing for me, and for us as a family, is to put down some roots in London.
"And it feels absolutely right in every single way."
The final episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden will air on Thursday, 27 April.
Topics: James Corden, TV and Film, Celebrity
Ali Condon