James Corden announces he's leaving The Late Late Show in 2023

Deadline

Corden, who succeeded Craig Ferguson as the fourth Late Late Show host in March 2015, has extended his CBS contract so that he can exit the late-night franchise in summer 2023. “It’s been it’s a really hard decision to leave because I’m so immensely proud of the show. I’m thrilled to be extending (for a year),” Corden, who is expected to discuss his decision on tonight's Late Late Show, told Deadline. “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.” His exit will make him the second longest-tenured Late Late Show host at a little over eight years. Ferguson hosted a full decade (January 2005 to December 2014), Craig Kilborn hosted from 1999 to 2004 and the late Tom Snyder launched The Late Late Show in 1995, hosting until 1999. Corden had been a longtime fixture on British TV, who won a Tony Award in 2012 and who co-created and starred in the hit BBC comedy Gavin & Stacey, when then-CBS boss Les Moonves made the surprising choice in 2014 to tap him as host of The Late Late Show. Corden's Late Late Show quickly became known for his viral segments, from "Carpool Karaoke" -- with the Adele version surpassing 250 million views -- to "Drop The Mic" to "Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts" and "Crosswalk: The Musical." While Corden's Late Late Show has been nominated for multiple Emmys, he's won several Emmys thanks to Apple TV+'s Carpool Karaoke series and a CBS Carpool Karaoke special featuring Paul McCartney. Last December, while weighing whether to re-sign, Corden told Variety: “I’m so conscious of wanting it to always be fresh. I want it to always be fresh and alive. And in the same token, I never really saw this job as a final destination. I saw it as a stop on a journey. So I honestly don’t know the answer to that.” ALSO: Stephen Colbert reacted to the news, tweeting: "Congratulations, James, on what will be eight incredible years at CBS. 12:30 won’t be the same without you. But looking forward to your exciting adventures as the new Doctor Who!"

UPDATE:

• Watch an emotional James Corden announce that leaving The Late Late Show was the hardest decision he's had to make: "When I started this journey, it was always going to be just that. It was always going to be a journey. An adventure. I never saw it as my final destination," a teary-eyed Corden told his Late Late Show audience, adding: "I never want this show to overstay its welcome. I always want to love making it. I really think that a year from now, that'll be a good time to move on and see what else might be out there." Corden also promised to "go out with a bang" next year.