James Corden Leaving 'The Late, Late Show' After 8 Years

James Corden has announced his departure from “The Late Late Show.” He made the announcement during a tape recording of the show in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday.

According to People, Corden has extended his contract with the CBS network for one more year and will depart the show ahead of summer 2023. The decision to leave was reportedly a tough one for Corden, who has been hosting the show for more than eight years.

“It’s been a really hard decision to leave because I’m so immensely proud of the show,” Corden said in a statement to Deadline. “I’m thrilled to be extending. I always thought I’d do it for five years and then leave, and then I stayed on. I’ve really been thinking about it for a long time, thinking whether there might be one more adventure.”

“I’ll miss the adrenaline of thinking ‘Next week I’m going to jump out of a plane with Tom Cruise or in two weeks’ time, we’re going to drive around the White House in a car with Michelle Obama or sing Penny Lane with Paul McCartney driving down Penny Lane. All of my greatest ambitions for what it could be, it’s absolutely surpassed all of them. My intention is to try and go out in exactly the same way we came in, which is just going out with a bang,” he continued.

Corden inked a contract to host “The Late Late Show” in 2014 and took over the show in March 2015, replacing Craig Ferguson, who hosted the show for nine years. He has since reinvigorated the 12.30 a.m. timeslot and paved the way for many of the show’s viral segments, including “Carpool Karaoke,” “Drop the Mic,” “Crosswalk Musical,” and “Spill Your Guts.”

On Thursday, CBS President and CEO George Cheeks sang praises for Corden and fondly recalled his time with the network. “Seven years ago, James Corden came to the U.S. and took television by storm, with huge creative and comedic swings that resonated in a big way with viewers on-air and online,” he said.

“From ‘Crosswalk the Musical’ to the legendary ‘Carpool Karaoke,’ and every unique comedy segment he introduced, James has truly reimagined many elements of the late night format,” he added.