James Corden on Leaving ‘The Late Late Show’ and Who Should Replace Him (Exclusive)

James Corden was back on the red carpet after the incident involving Balthazar restaurant, opening up to “Extra’s” Jenn Lahmers about leaving “The Late Late Show” and his new project “Mammals.”

Corden said, “Acting is what I have always done, really, my whole life, other than this little brief hiatus where I did a late-night talk show and drove around in cars with people. I never really had a plan for my career, which is evident if you look at anything I have done.”

He continued, “The ending of the show is going to be extraordinarily emotional… We only have 100 shows left… which is going to go like that.”

James explained, “That’s not to say I don’t want to host other things and do other things — I really, really do… ‘The Late Late Show’ should always be about youth and it should always be about something new and fresh, and I think that is what we were able to do. I’m excited to see what comes next. I never really wanted to ever overstay my welcome, I always wanted to feel like I would leave before I was asked to leave.”

Who does he want to take over?

“Look, I don’t know… Whatever incarnation of the show it is, they will have nothing but my absolute support and devotion. That’s how I felt with other late-night hosts when I came in, speaking to [Jimmy] Kimmel, speaking to [Stephen] Colbert, speaking to [Jimmy] Fallon… It’s such an unbelievable, supportive world now… I will always be there for them and try to support them in whatever way they might need… I don’t know what that will be. I will be there shouting from the top of my lungs.”

Corden is starring in “Mammals” which follows his character, a chef who discovers shocking secrets about his pregnant wife. He searches for answers with the help of his brother-in-law, but stumbles upon cracks in the marriage to his sister.

Jenn asked what drew him into the series.

“In truth its written by an extraordinary writer that’s called Jez Butterworth, who has had the most unbelievable career… I have just been a fan of his for years, really. His work has meant a great deal to me… We met one random day in New York, we got on really well, we are from different towns in the U.K., but they are very similar. He sent me this script one summer, the summer of 2019. He said. 'Would you ever be able to do something like this?' I read it in 19 minutes and... I sort of couldn’t believe, like, something like this could come my way. I am so immensely proud of it.”

Corden said, “We are alike in many ways, we grew up in the same place… It’s kind of nice when you hang out with someone and you feel like you could have been in school together. I just love him and so proud of what he has done with this show here… I am just a little part of it… People will get to see it and people will get to respond to it.”

James added, “In many ways, it’s a story about four characters. It’s about love, it is about marriage, it’s about romance. But actually, he has managed to write something that feels very unique.”