For those of us watching closely, James Corden’s decision to leave the host Late Late Show— and more ultimately, CBS’ decision to end the franchise entirely — doesn’t bode well for the future of late-night comedy shows, which have been a staple of network television for the past 70 years.
And when Corden aired his final episode on Thursday night and hired his late-night co-hosts to stop by for a detailed sketch of his own place in the landscape that involved more self-awareness than anything else, it felt like something was coming to an end. It was something else he did in the past.
In Corden’s “Late Nightmare”, Seth Meyers, then Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and four other white men, who are now hosting similar shows on network TV, join Jimmy Fallon to set the ground rules for the bedroom. for her going
“Hosting a late night talk show makes you part of a very special club, and we need to know that if we’re going to let you go, you’re going to keep our holy secrets,” Kimmel said. In the next few minutes, the group scolded him for “singing and dancing every night” and often being “too much”.
To take a look at Corden’s bearded Moses, post-Late Late Show may seem like the future, they are joined by David Letterman, who may or may not have filmed his episode separately. “God spoke to me and said I didn’t need to get into this part,” he jokes.
Soon after, Corden tries to lead the group in an emotional musical song about “we are one family” and “late night battles” before quickly shutting him down.
“Will you stop?” Colbert then asks Kimmel: “You are embarrassing your country.”
As for the MC’s signature tracks, his opponents all say they want “Carpool Karaoke,” and even Corden admits his other recurring episodes, like “Emoji News,” aren’t metering. “I’m saying it out loud now, it doesn’t sound like such a good idea,” he says.
At the end of his “nightmare”, Corden envisions a deeply disturbing professional move; that includes another cameo from someone else who recently decided that he’s out of hosting. The only thing missing was any mention of his toxic reputation.