After more than 20 years on the air, “The Late Late Show” is coming to an end. The late-night talk show has featured many unforgettable moments in entertainment history, including amazing guest stars, hilarious bits and four incredible hosts.
This is a recap of the show’s history to commemorate its final farewell.
Where it all began
“The Late Late Show” premiered in January 1995 with former newsman Tom Snyder as its host. His show featured a selection of celebrities, politicians and other newsmakers as guest stars. He did not have any game-like segments nor a live audience, but it was simulcast over the radio. Snyder’s show had no house band, so the producers had laugh tracks and pre-recorded jazz music set up. His run as a host ended in 1999 because the network reportedly wanted a younger person to take over.
Onto the next
Craig Kilborn, a former anchor for ESPN’s SportsCenter, was next in line for hosting “The Late Late Show.” His show was more commentator-type, with segments breaking up his episodes. These segments included “What Up?” where he and three panelists joked about news, “To Blank with Love,” where Kilborn dedicated verses to different people and “Yambo,” which was an elimination game where he would shout questions. They would have to answer them in three seconds. Kilborn abruptly left the show in 2004, ending his five-year run as its host. He explained in an interview that he left due to the late-night time slot being too crowded for him to succeed. However, others claimed he left because he didn’t get the raise he wanted.
Runner-up
Craig Ferguson signed on as the next host of “The Late Late Show” in 2005, four months after Kilborn left. He brought back the more ‘sit down interview’ style of the show and had one or two celebrity guests on each show. His performance was different than the previous, as he had a sidekick in the form of an animatronic skeleton named Geoff Peterson. Ferguson also incorporated viewer interactions and had a segment where he would respond to their emails and Twitter messages. The show featured stand-up comedian bits and pre-taped musical guest stars and he had multiple running gags. These gags included “Crab,” “Shark” and “Magic” themed weeks, as well as celebrity look-alike days. Ferguson’s contract with “The Late Late Show” ended in 2014, and he decided to decline the offered renewal. He was the longest-running host of the talk show, ending at exactly nine years.
Last man standing
British actor and comedian James Corden took over as “The Late Late Show” host on March 23, 2015. Corden changed many things when he began hosting this late-night show. He was the first host to have a house band (Reggie Watts). He interviewed his guest at once and made the set to honor his home country of England. Many of his entertainment segments have gone viral on the internet, including “Carpool Karaoke,” “Spill your Guts or Fill your Guts” and “Crosswalk the Musical.” “The Late Late Show” won an Emmy for “Outstanding Interactive Program” in 2016 and received 11 more nominations during his run.
Corden is no stranger to hosting a series, but his reputation in doing so precedes him. People have considered him one of the most challenging people to work with in Hollywood. His questionable behavior hit the tabloids after being banned from a New York restaurant. Even celebrities were joining in on this hate train. Singer Mel B called him one of the biggest d***heads she has ever met.
“I think you always have to be nice to the people that you work with whether it be production, camera guys, sound, lighting. We all work for the same thing, so you should always be nice, and he hasn’t been very nice,” said Mel B
Guests of honor
Every talk show has that one guest that makes the show famous. It usually comes in the form of fans watching a clip online, and then it goes viral. For instance, Corden is most known for his interviews with Adele and the members of One Direction. Due to their impactful interviews, Snyder’s most memorable guests were Gloria Vanderbilt and Robert Blake. Blake’s interview occurred a few days before he was charged with murder, and Vanderbilt discussed her son’s suicide. Finally, Ferguson’s most notable guest was Archbishop Desmond Tutu in his episode about South African politics and colonization practices.
End of an era
Corden announced he would not return as the show host in April 2022. Rather than finding someone to replace him, the network decided it would be cheaper to pull the franchise entirely. Instead, the network is reportedly reviving the social media-themed game show “@midnight.” There have been no confirmations as to when this show will premier if it does.
The final episode of “The Late Late Show” premiered on April 27 on CBS. It featured two of Corden’s favorite guest stars, Harry Styles and Will Ferrell, and an emotional goodbye. It is now available for streaming on CBS.com, YoutubeTV, HULU and Paramount+.
