Despite millions not finding him funny — with his allegedly stealing jokes and a well documented obnoxious personality — James Corden keeps falling upwards. Now that he’s finally set to leave the Late Late Show after a middling run, the bad press is once again flowing out from various sources.
Director Craig Duncan recently revealed that Corden was “the most difficult and obnoxious presenter I have ever worked with,” in a claim that’s about as shocking as rubber boots. This follows the recent news he was banned from a famous NYC restaurant for being rude to a member of staff, and a very public moan about him being terrible from former Spice Girl Mel B. And who could forget this legendary Reddit AMA?
The latest controversy, as told by Duncan, follows a familiar pattern. He begins his story by discussing how Corden’s production company is well aware of his many, many, many flaws.
“I was asked by his production company, would I be willing to direct a challenge that was gonna be part of their A League of Their Own show. It was season seven, episode three, and I’ll never forget it. They said, ‘How are you at working with difficult presenters?’ I say, ‘Oh right, OK. Well, I’ve filmed the Three Tenors before, and you can’t get more of a prima donna than an opera singer.’”
Oh, how wrong he was. Duncan goes on to detail Corden being rude to the crew, and turning up late to the shoot. Classic behavior all round, then.
Corden rose to prominence with various acting gigs in his native U.K., including the series Fat Friends and a well regarded turn in a film adaptation of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys. He hit the big time with the hit comedy Gavin and Stacey, which he co-wrote and co-starred in with the genuinely funny Welsh actress and comedian Ruth Jones. This led to a string of jobs in TV and film, including numerous appearances on panel shows. Most Americans were luckily shielded from his presence until 2015, when he began presenting The Late Late Show, taking over from previous host Craig Ferguson, and also hosts Carpool Karaoke, which is due to end later this year after five seasons.
It’s not known exactly when he became such a “dickhead,” to quote Mel B, or if he always had it in him to be thoroughly unlikeable, but he somehow continues to get role after role, proving once and for all you don’t have to be nice to make it in show business. If Corden is anything to go by, it might even be better to be a truly horrible little man.