James Corden has been a fixture within late-night television for the past several years now and has seemingly built a devoted following in the process. However, the TV personality and occasional actor has found himself on the receiving end of public backlash in a number of instances. This usually results in Corden getting lit up by commentators across Twitter and other social media platforms. But amid all of the critiques, is he still planning to remain at CBS as the host of The Late Late Show? Well, it appears we have an answer.
It seems James Corden isn’t planning on leaving the network that gave him his shot at late-night stardom. Per Deadline, the host is currently negotiating a contract extension with CBS. He originally signed on for the show back in 2014 and became the successor to TV veteran Craig Ferguson. As the trade further mentions, Corden signed an extension in 2019 and his current contract is set to expire in August 2022.
In the past, the host has been candid about when he might wrap up his career as a late-night personality. Earlier this year, he confirmed that he had seriously considered leaving the job, citing the distance from his family in the UK as one of the reasons.
Deadline indicates that CBS has been eager to keep James Corden in the fold, and it seemingly has a number of reasons for its desire to re-up with him. The Late Late Show has developed a significant digital footprint during the Corden era, as its YouTube account alone currently holds over 20 million subscribers and has amassed over nine billion views. And there’s also the fact that the show has also birthed its own spinoff IPs in Drop the Mic and the highly popular Carpool Karaoke.
While James Corden has shown to be a prime asset for CBS, the backlash he’s received on social media is worth mentioning. Last year, a number of viewers called him out for not actually driving the car during the Carpool Karaoke segments. And just recently, fans roasted him after he and his Cinderella co-stars held a flash mob in LA, which held up traffic. But on a basic level, some have also criticized Corden’s on-screen style for being similar to fellow host Graham Norton.
James Corden was actually faced with a more serious critique earlier this year when his “Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts” segment was called out for being culturally insensitive. During the game, players are forced to either divulge a personal secret or eat food that’s perceived to be unappetizing. An activist petitioned for the segment to be removed and apparently received death threats as a result. Corden eventually responded to the mounting backlash, saying that he and his team would “absolutely won't involve or use any of those foods” in the future.
It’s currently unclear as to when James Corden and CBS will officially come to an agreement on a contract extension. But given his success (even amid the backlash), one would imagine the deal will be quite lucrative for the British TV presenter.
The Late Late Show with James Corden airs nightly at 12:37 a.m. ET on CBS.
