Craig Ferguson's Possible Replacement: Who Is James Corden?
Craig Ferguson’s replacement has been named. Probably. Maybe. Sort of.
The Wrap reports that CBS is tapping British actor and comedian James Corden to replace Craig Ferguson as host of The Late Late Show. Ferguson announced in April that he would be exiting by the end of the year. CBS has yet to confirm the news, but now that his name is gracing headlines, we have a bigger question: Who is this guy?
Much like Ferguson when he started in 2005, Corden is an under-the-radar choice. The 35-year-old is a multitalented star who has acted on the stage, in film, and on television, and has written and produced TV series including the U.K.’s Gavin & Stacey, which he co-created and costarred in.
He won a BAFTA for acting in Gavin & Stacey and a Tony for his performance in 2012’s One Man, Two Guvnors. That same year, he was named British GQ’s Man of the Year. For people who need more geek cred than that: He’s also guest starred in two episodes of Doctor Who.
Lately, Corden has been doing more movies: He appeared opposite Keira Knightley in Begin Again, and will be starring in Disney’s star-packed Into the Woods alongside Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, and Johnny Depp.
Interestingly, Corden was an avid user of Twitter, with more than 4 million followers, until around the time Ferguson made the announcement about retiring from the show.
If (or when) Corden is officially named as Ferguson’s replacement, he’ll become the third Jimmy hosting a late night talk show. Like the other two Jimmys in late night (Kimmel and Fallon), Corden is married. He and his wife, Julia Carey, have a 3-year-old son named Max.
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Rumors of the selection have set off a new round of criticism that CBS once again selected another straight, white male to add to an already very white, very male late-night landscape. The furor first started when the network tapped Stephen Colbert to replace David Letterman. Ferguson himself reportedly said that his replacement should “unquestionably be a female.” Jezebel snarked that the addition of another white male late-night host is “getting old.”
Corden tends to go by his full first name James, but he might want to consider joining the Jimmy crowd. As baby name expert Laura Wattenberg told us, “Choosing to go by Jimmy rather than James — or even Jim — sends a signal: It’s the lively, fun-loving, throwback choice. It says that you’re not taking yourself too seriously.”
And as the author of The Baby Name Wizard noted, “There’s a comic tradition of Jimmys from Jimmy Durante in the ’40s to Jimmie Walker in the ’70s.”
Will the third Jimmy be the charm?
See Corden in the Into the Woods trailer:
