Perhaps one of the best comedians and talk show hosts of all time is James Corden, who everybody may know for being the man of the “Late Night Show with James Corden” and who popularized the Carpool Karaoke segment.
He is one of the most successful personalities of the United Kingdom who went on to steal the hearts of the Americans as well. That’s not all – with his immense popularity, it is not surprising that you’ll see his face in several advertisements as left and right brands have been tapping him to help with their marketing stints.
With his sheer talent in comedy and singing, it is a no-brainer that he was bound for success. You could see from a mile that he was destined to becoming one of the most in-demand stars of today. His net worth is placed at $12 million as of last year and with a lot of sidelines, pretty sure that this amount has increased.
That’s not all, he seemed to be rubbing elbows with Hollywood’s who’s who, so you can say he’s popular even in Tinsel town and even in the fashion world after it was reported that Vogue editor Anna Wintour was a fan. However, the 40-year-old actor’s path to what he is enjoying right now was far from smooth – as was with everyone’s journey, his was bumpy.
Humble Beginnings
Corden was born to a social worker mother and a Royal Air Force band member father, which now gives you an idea to where he got his musical talent.
On his comedic side, the affable host said in an interview that his earliest memory involved making faces in front of the altar during his sister’s christening, which made people laugh. That was the time he considered he had a knack for this, so much so that he wanted to become a performer.
At 17, he finally scored a role on stage in the 1966 musical “Martin Guerre.” Corden then shifted to television and film and landed on a character in successful projects like the Channel 4’s “Teachers,” 2002 film “All or Nothing,” soap opera “Hollyoaks,” and comedy show “Little Britain.”
One of his most remarkable shows was “Fat Friends,” which ran for four seasons, where he played Jamie Rymer. Coincidentally, it was also in the ITV series where he met ex Sheridan Smith, who he also worked with in 2007’s “Gavin & Stacey.”
All the while he was performing well in “Fat Friends,” Corden came back to the stage for the 2004’s production of Alan Bennett’s “The History Boys,” which got rave reviews – this resulted to an international tour with co-stars Russell Tovey and Dominic Cooper. Although the success was there, he didn’t want to be boxed in roles that involved his weight. So what he did was to write a TV show, which he and “Fat Friends” actor Ruth Jones co-created and starred in, “Gavin & Stacey.” It was a hit, to say the least, but although he enjoyed the fame, it caught up with him and went to his head.
Undesirable Moments
A proud and boastful Corden soon showed up: in 2008 while receiving his BAFTA Awards, he went to the crowd and asked why his show wasn’t nominated in another category. In another instance during the Broadcasting Press Guilds Awards, he slammed Gareth McLean for giving unfavorable reviews to his show. Nine years ago, he got into a heated exchange with Sir Patrick Stewart during the Glamour Awards.
After failing to secure success with another show, “Horne & Corden,” a break-up with his long-time girlfriend, and the uneasy feeling of returning to his hometown because it’ll remind him of the girl, Corden was at a bad place. But he knew what he had to do: to face it head-on.
Facing the Reality
Corden released his autobiography “May I Have Your Attention, Please?” where he confessed everything that happened and added bits of his life. After that, things started going uphill for him – he married Julia Carey, whom he met at a party and whom he has three wonderful kids now.
He landed a role in “One Man, Two Guvnors,” he hosted the Brit Awards for four times, and his 2012 move to Broadway earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.
The latter was what made CBS President Leslie Moonves notice this rather funny and witty guy. The studio exec admitted he never knew Corden until he bested out James Earl Jones, Frank Langella, and Philip Seymour Hoffman at the Tony’s.
Moonves knew that they have to get this man on their turf. When the multitalented man landed on a role in the musical “Into the Woods,” that’s the time he was offered by the network. Initially, he was hesitant, but he decided to take the risk. By 2014, he was announced as the host of the late-night show, and the rest was history.
