James Corden is officially stepping away from CBS’ ‘The Late Late Show’ next year, after eight years of fronting the chat show. And now it’s being claimed that the 43-year-old Brit was offered close to $50 million to stay with the network, which he was said to have declined as he plans to relocate back to the UK to be closer to his family.
Sources for Daily Mail uncovered that while James was given a name-your-price multi-year deal, with a proposed offer of nearly $50 million, he couldn’t be persuaded to stay on the show and, in the end, decided to walk away from negotiations entirely before announcing his departure last week.
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“James wants to write, make films and he loves the theatre. He is only in his early forties. There is a lot more out there,” an insider expressed. During Thursday’s episode, James became teary-eyed as he broke the news to his live studio audience and viewers at home — but he does plan to leave the show with a bang.
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“There is going to be Carpools, and Crosswalks, and sketches and other surprises… And there will be tears. There will be so many tears. Cause this has been the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, it really has,” he shared. “I’ve never taken this job for granted. Ever. Not once. And … the fact that you watch us at home. Or you watch us online. Wherever you are, all over the world.”
James described his move to Los Angeles in 2015 as life-changing during his monologue, having found success on CBS right from the first season. In fact, he’s become the go-to talk show host for many celebrities, including the Kardashians and Harry Styles, just to name a few.
Speaking of his journey after leaving the UK, he continued,” Seven and half years ago I started hosting this show and there’s no other way to put it, it has changed my life. I love it, I love all the people that work here, I am so proud of what we’ve achieved, it’s been beyond my wildest, wildest dreams.”
“When I started this journey it was always going to be just that, a journey, an adventure. I never saw as it as my final destination, and I never want this show to overstay its welcome, I love making it and I really think in a year from now that will be a good time to move on and see what’s out there.”
Aside from being closer to his family across the pond, James also wants to pursue more projects on the big screen, having amassed quite an impressive list of credentials as a movie star. He’s previously starred in films such as Cinderella, Trolls 2, Cats, and The Emoji Movie.
But before he says his final goodbye, trust and believe there’ll be plenty of more Carpool Karaokes coming in the next 12 months.