An emotional James Corden made it official while taping Thursday’s edition of The Late Late Show — and he promised there will be tears.
“I’ve some news of my own to share,” he began. “Seven and a half years ago, I started hosting this show. It has changed my life. I love it, I love all the people who work here. I am so proud of what we have achieved. It has been beyond my wildest, wildest dreams. So I’m happy to announce today I’ve signed a new contract to carry on.”
The crowd cheered but he quickly cut them off. “That’s really only half the story,” he said. “The other half is the sadder news. I’ve sign for one more year of the show, and this will be my last.”
When the crowd began to boo, he quipped, “Don’t you dare.”
“When I started this journey it was always going to be just that, it was going to be a journey, an adventure,” Corden continued, while tearing up. “I never saw it as my final destination, and I never want this show to overstay it’s welcome. I always want to love making it. I really think in a year from now that will be a good time to move on to see what else is out there. We all determined to make this the best year we have ever had. We are going to go out with a bang … they’ll be tears, so many tears, ‘cuz this has been the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. I never took this for granted, ever.”
Corden will have hosted The Late Late Show for eight and a half years by the time he departs. He signed a contract to host, taking over from Craig Ferguson, in 2014. The Corden-fronted show premiered on March 23, 2015.
