Why does ‘The Late Late Show’ staff hate James Corden?
Serious question: has anyone ever liked The Late Late Show host James Corden? It was bad enough when audiences in the UK vocally disliked pretty much everything he did. But this public disdain has followed him to the states.
He’s notorious for mistreating his staff – when he can remember their names, at least. Most other celebrities don’t like him either. He’s like the anti-Beyonce. Even his hit sketch “Carpool Karaoke” has seen him accused of singing over his guests.
Even though he tends to play the annoying character in new movie musicals, the anti-Corden discourse had dimmed for a while. Now Corden is back in the spotlight for publicly hating on Halloween. This time? His staff is fighting back.
I can’t do it
On Thursday, co-head writer Ian Karmel was excitedly talking about Halloween. He talked about his love for Halloween traditions like pumpkin-carving and watching The Nightmare Before Christmas.
He also talked about his love of candy corn. This might have been where he lost the audience. It’s definitely where he lost Corden who quickly proclaimed there’s nothing to love about the spooky holiday.
Corden started ranting about adults dressing up in costume when it should really just be about the children. It’s an ironic statement coming from the actor behind Bustopher Jones (Cats).
Bad blood
The exchange was friendly enough. But James Corden has a history of negligent & hostile behavior as host of The Late Late Show. This poor reputation gave the otherwise innocent moment an underlying tension.
In 2017, UK publication The Tab called Corden “a bit of a [d-ckhead].” Since then, rumors – and even some videos – have circulated regarding his ill-treatment of staff. No official claims have been made against him.
Despite the lack of evidence, Corden’s supposed negligence has surfaced in other ways. In 2016, Corden drank a fish smoothie after being unable to name even two of his camera people while playing “Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts.”
In 2019, Writer Jack Allison (JackAm) called Corden out on Twitter for crashing an exclusive Writer’s Guild of America meeting. Cordon allegedly walked in with an executive producer and advocated for lower wages for late-night writers.
Similar rumors circulated around Ellen DeGeneres creating a toxic work environment for her staff. Degeneres stepped down as host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show when they proved to be true. In another twist of irony, Corden was rumored to be replacing her.
Notoriously annoying
The staff of The Late Late Show with James Corden aren’t the only ones who’ve publicly had issues with the host. Actress Rose McGowan (Grindhouse) in 2017 after his distasteful jokes regarding the Harvey Weinstein case.
His biggest celebrity by far, however, has been Comedian Ricky Gervais (UK’s The Office). Gervais has referred to Corden’s hosting of “Carpool Karaoke” as chauffeuring celebrities. He’s also called Corden out for his allegedly blatant celebrity worship.
Just a bit of fun
No one seemed genuinely upset during the back & forth. Karmel continued to laugh even as he argued with Corden. He even jokingly suggested the staff get a day off to celebrate Halloween.
Writer Louis Waymouth called Corden out for his own childlike behavior during Christmas. But there was no hint of genuine hostility in their back & forth. They just sounded like two very enthusiastic British men having a live discussion.
No official claims accusing Corden of creating or fostering a toxic work environment have been made. Sometimes, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Other times, it’s just a lot of smoke. Just don’t let it be the smoke of a Halloween fog machine!
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Do you agree with Ian Karmel? Or do you also think Halloween is for kids? What are your thoughts on James Corden? Let us know in the comments below!
