“Nobody thinks you would ever leave”: James Corden explains why people think he was fired from the Late Late Show

Despite the end of his long-running CBS program The Late Late Show in April 2023, English actor and comedian James Corden has been settling into life in London. He also shared that there is a belief among people in the UK that he was fired from the show.

During his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, the 45-year-old discussed his transition after returning from Los Angeles to London and how he was perceived by people. Corden shared a story about a conversation he had with fans at a pub, where they asked him why he moved back. He explained that he wanted his children to have a strong relationship with their grandparents.

Reflecting on the response to that, he pointed out:

“And people will honestly be like, ‘You don’t have to give me that bullsh*t. It’s fine, mate. If you got fired, you got fired. Because nobody thinks you would ever leave what is — let’s be honest — a cushy existence.”

James and his wife Julia Carey have three children – Charlotte (6), Carey (9), and Max (11), who is their son.

James Corden addresses rumors about his departure from The Late Late Show

During his guest appearance on Tuesday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, James Corden acknowledged that the past year has been a period of “adjustment”since leaving Los Angeles and stepping down as host of The Late Late Show.

The actor served as the host of the show from 2015 to 2023, and subsequently relocated to London following the conclusion of the talk show.

Kimmel and Corden discussed the impact of the latter’s decision to step down from hosting duties on his life in the UK. Corden reflected on the difference between being constantly praised on the show and how he is treated now. He went on to say:

“You don’t understand how institutionalized you are. It’s extraordinary. But it’s like, you’re institutionalized in a world where you get a standing ovation at the end of every day. And that is — what I’ve realized — is it’s really bad for you.”

According to Kimmel, Corden was asked about his reception since coming back to the U.K., to which he replied with a joke that although “people are generally kind,”they are skeptical of his decision to leave the show on his own volition. He went on to elaborate:

“No one believes that I wasn’t fired. I’ll be in a pub or something and people will be like, oh yeah…. They’ll be like, ‘So why’d you come back?’ and I’ll be like, ‘Oh, ’cause Max has finished 6th grade and we really wanted him to have a relationship with his grandparents.”

James Corden further discussed the speculation surrounding his departure, explaining to Kimmel that it is rare for someone to leave such a comfortable job. To add a bit of humor, he jokingly suggested that the star of Mammals should request a formal letter from CBS clarifying that he was not let go.

When answering, Corden replied:

“I would, except they don’t know what CBS is. So they’ll go, ‘Well, that’s not a real thing.’ And then I have to tell them what the show was, and they’ll go, ‘Hang on, it was on at 12:30 at night? That’s a ridiculous time to put a TV show on.’”

The entertainer revealed in April 2022 that he would be departing from The Late Late Show. The CBS team confirmed that Corden’s last season as the host would be in 2023. In his departure statement, Corden stated:

“It’s been it’s a really hard decision to leave because I’m so immensely proud of the show … 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.”

The comedian has recently embarked on a new endeavor, hosting a radio show called This Life of Mine with James Corden on SiriusXM.