The last words said by James Corden on “The Late Late Show” were “Thanks for watching, that’s our show.”
But the host’s last episode of The Late Late Show had to begin somewhere, and because he was unable to open a series of locked doors, he ended up starting the show in the stairwell of the studio rather than on his main stage. This was the host’s last appearance on The Late Late Show.
His monologue was delivered from the stairway of the CBS Television City building, and his customary dressing room check-ins with the evening’s guests, Harry Styles and Will Ferrell were conducted via the glass of one of the doors. (Ferrell said that he was unable to open the door from his side due to the fact that it was a “well-made door.”)
When James Corden finally took the stage, he told the audience that they were in for an “emotional time” because they were filming “The Final Late Late Show in the History of CBS.” Corden’s appearance marked the end of the long-running talk show.
Additionally, he acknowledged his family in the audience by name and thanked them for being there. His mother was reduced to sobbing when she saw him.
After that, Corden went on to the show’s concluding news section, where he teased the comic piece by referring to it as “America’s primary news source.” In light of the fact that both Donald Trump and Joe Biden will be seeking the presidency once again in 2024, he remarked that viewers could “go back and watch our 2019 episodes” without missing a beat.
During that portion of the show, Corden’s sidekick and the show’s co-head writer, Ian Karmel, commented to him, “This is like Michael Jordan retiring at the height of his powers.”
Then, Corden was taken aback when Biden surprised him with a personal message in which he congratulated him on his achievement. 1200 performances over a span of eight years. After spending the day working for me in The White House, I’m astonished you’ve managed to keep any employment for the last eight years. To you, Reggie, and the rest of the crew, I want to express my gratitude for all of the happiness that you brought into people’s lives throughout the United States, and I want to thank you in particular for never asking me to sing in the car…We’ll miss you mate. I’m really looking forward to seeing what you come up with next.
Karmel made a lighthearted remark and said, “We also have one from Trump. Do you want to go ahead and roll it? In response, Corden said, “Can you even imagine?”
Following the commercial break, Corden shared that “one positive” aspect of his leaving the show is that he “may finally get a good night’s sleep.” This led to the next skit, which had him being roused from his slumber by a number of late-night talks show presenters, including current hosts Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and Stephen Colbert, as well as former host David Letterman.
Meyers remarked, “I need to talk to you about you leaving,” and the conversation began. “We’re here to tell you that you can’t just leave a talk show,” the hosts said to the audience.
After that, Jimmy Kimmel joined them and said, “Having a late-night talk show makes you part of a very exclusive club and if we’re going to let you leave, we need to know you’re going to keep our secrets.” He then joined them again.
After that, Corden made a solemn vow “not to reveal” any of their confidences and politely requested that they leave his bedroom.
“James, have you given this some serious consideration?” Colbert asked. “What other job will allow you to break out into song every single night?”
Corden said, “I don’t sing and dance every night,” to which Kimmel retorted, “You do.” Corden continued, “I don’t sing and dance every night.”
Corden said to the other cast members that leaving the show was “the hardest decision of his life,” but he was prepared to do so. After that, the other hosts urged him to “make the terms” of his formal leave, and Kimmel responded by telling him not to “get big ideas” in retirement, adding that he should “stick to corporate gigs, podcasts, and maybe The Masked Singer.”
Corden said that it did not seem “fair,” and he recalled how, when he first went to the United States, he heard about the late-night conflicts. However, he has realized through the years that they were truly “a family,” and were not genuinely engaged in a conflict with one another. After that, he started singing, screaming out the lyrics “We’re just some funny boys,” and Meyers followed up by saying, “We like to spread some joy.”
The hosts of League of Gentlemen eventually came to the conclusion that it was time to divide the ideas they had gotten from the Late Late Show, but all they wanted to do was “Carpool Karaoke.” After he refused to hand over the idea, the comedians threatened to revoke his invitation to this year’s Met Gala if he continued to refuse to hand over the idea.
Corden came to the realization that it was only “a dream,” but the comedy then skipped forward in time by six months to show him competing on The Masked Singer with Trevor Noah, who had previously hosted The Daily Show until December.
After some time had passed in the program, Corden was joined by Styles and Ferrell, who promptly smashed the desk used for the show with a sledgehammer.
During the conversation, Styles reminisced and also displayed the tattoo he earned on The Late Late program in 2015 after performing with One Direction. Styles got the tattoo while appearing on the program. “My favorite thing was probably the music video,” he said, sharing his opinion. “Dodgeball was a lot of fun for me. I was given a swift kick in the rump by Michelle Obama. And then we moved on to Crosswalk, which was my least favorite of the exercises. That day, I felt like I was going to pass.
In addition to that, they competed in one more round of “Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts.” When asked whether or not there will be a One Direction reunion in the future, Styles gave the following response when fans pushed him on the matter: “I believe it’s not a yes or no question…Never in a million years would I say never about it.
In addition to that, he expressed to Corden that he was “so incredibly proud” of him for all that he had done on the program, and he added, “I’m so happy for you and I love you.”
After thanking the cast and crew of his show, Corden proceeded to address the viewers of his program directly in the penultimate portion of the program.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes happen in the United States. “I’ve watched, I’ve watched divisions grow over the past few years,” was part of what he stated. “And I’ve seen and I’ve felt a feeling of negativity rising up and at moments boiling over,” she said. “And I’ve seen and I’ve felt it. And I believe that’s all I really want to say to you tonight is that I beg you to remember what the United States of America represents to the rest of the world.”
“At the end of the day, all we’ve ever tried to do is bring a little bit of lightheartedness and humor into your life. I am grateful that you have given me permission to accomplish this. “I want to express my gratitude for the hospitality you have shown me each and every night,” he said.
Naturally, Corden chose to close out his final episode of The Late Late Show with a song that paid homage to the eight years he spent working on the program. As he sang about finishing up the experience — including filming the final episode of “Carpool Karaoke” and “Fill Your Guts” — on the show and living in Los Angeles, he became emotional.
When he finally got the words out, he was completely overcome with emotion as he sang, “Thanks for watching, that’s our show.”