James Corden is opening up about his “very easy decision” to leave The Late Late Show.
Well, that’s a far cry from what the British star said months ago! If you didn’t already know, the talk show host announced back in April of 2022 that he would be extending his contract to 2023, but leaving after that. He told Deadline at the time about having to think over if it was the right move:
“It’s been 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.”
So, what happened between then and now?? Not like we all already don’t know, but James faced intense backlash after Keith McNally accused the actor of mistreating employees at his Balthazar restaurant in NYC.
The 44-year-old didn’t namedrop the controversy, but while appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show Monday, he explained of his exit:
“It’s not easy in any way to walk away from something that is so — I mean I’ll never work in a better environment than the one I work in now. 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.”
Related: Mel B Calls James The ‘Biggest D**khead’ In Hollywood!
He went on to reveal that two summers ago, during filming his show Mammals, he came to a realization after a conversation with his young son. James explained:
“One day, I was filming on a Sunday and I came downstairs, it was about 6:00 a.m. and my son, who was 10 at the time, was sat on the stairs, and he said ‘Are you working today?’ And I said ‘I am,’ and he said, ‘I thought — but it’s Sunday,’ and I said, ‘I know, buddy, but the schedule is just so all over the place so 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 show.’”
The father of three continued:
“And his face just kind of dropped.”
It was in that moment that he realized, “best case scenario,” he has “six more summers where Max is like, even remotely wants to be around us. And I cannot waste another one.” He emotionally 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 the best thing for us as a family is to put down some roots in London, and it feels absolutely right in every single way.”
See the full clip (below):
James of course shares Max, 11, Carey, eight, and Charlotte, five, with wife Julia Carey.
Did public opinion get the best of him though? Will you be missing James, Perezcious readers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
[Image via CBS/YouTube]
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