An actor, singer, host, producer and writer – James Corden is a Jack of all trades and seemingly master of them all too. We take a look at how this Brit star has his cake and eats it.
Even if you didn’t know his name before, you must have seen videos of him with celebrities singing along to songs while driving around. From Lady Gaga and Adele to Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato, he’s taken them all for a ride, and Carpool Karaoke is just one of the many entertaining segments this man has created for his late-night talk show The Late Late Show with James Corden.
The son of a musician and a social worker, James Corden started his career with a one-liner in a musical. He gradually graduated to bit roles, but rose to prominence with the 2007 British sitcom Gavin & Stacey, which he co-wrote and co-starred in and for which he swept up several prestigious awards. He, however, failed to find the same success with subsequent comedic gigs, some of which were Horne & Corden and Lesbian Vampire Killers. He proceeded to dabble in sports, hosting A League of Their Own and Sport Relief 2010. Things again picked up after he reprised his role in Gavin & Stacey for a sketch for charity telethon Comic Relief in 2011, which was not only regarded as the best of the night, but which also introduced the first appearance of Carpool Karaoke – the segment he would five years later take home an Emmy for.
In 2011, Corden also played the lead role in the hit comedy play One Man, Two Guvnors, which was critically well-received. It made its debut on Broadway, and the next year he picked up a Tony Award for it. The self-proclaimed “chunky unit” appeared in the film One Chance in 2013, which tells the touching story of Britain’s Got Talent winner Paul Potts. He has since been involved with a string of other films. In fact, at time of press, he’s got three films slated for release in 2018. In 2015, Corden became the host of The Late Late Show, an appointment that came about because, according to CBS Entertainment Chairman Nina Tassler, he has a “diverse range of creative instincts and performance talent” and is a “rare entertainment force”. The show has been huge, and aside from Carpool Karaoke some of its other hot segments include Drop the Mic, where Corden and guests trade insults in a rap battle, and Take a Break, where he pretends to do the job of someone in another industry.
The 38-year-old is clearly a crowd favourite, and with his presenting the Brit Awards five times and also recently presenting the Grammy Awards, there is no doubt his popularity is going from strength to strength. Corden is married to Julia Carey and they have two children. He’s said to be fashion queen Anna Wintour’s favourite comedian, and it’s not hard to see why. Actress Emily Blunt is also said to be his fan. Can’t get enough of this funny guy? Be sure to check out his book May I Have Your Attention, Please?: The Autobiography.
And much as we like to laugh, more often than not we also need a bit of encouragement. Here’s an excerpt from the book about maintaining a certain level of optimism even when we feel down:
“It's strange how things seem to come full circle. You know what I mean? I'm sure you do. The way your life seems to drift along with no set path, then something good happens to you and you can trace the line that brought you there back to a specific disappointment or rejection you suffered in the past. It's nice that things can level out that way.”
Not just extraordinarily funny, but also pleasantly perceptive. Gotta love James Corden really.
Drop the Mic
James Corden took on Dave Franco and Cara Delevingne in an intense and yet hilarious rap battle.
