Why So Many People Dislike James Corden

James Corden saw his career skyrocket when he brought the world Carpool Karaoke while hosting The Late Late Show, only for the public to turn on the talk show host — leading many to wonder what the controversy really is, and why so many people seem to hate James Corden. The British performer is best known for succeeding Craig Ferguson as host of The Late Late Show in 2015, becoming one of the most popular talk show hosts on the air. By the time he left in 2023, however, opinion toward him seemed to have soured dramatically.

Corden was already a well-known name in the UK thanks to his previous comedy works. He rose to fame with the UK sitcom Gavin & Stacey before relocating to the US, acting in multiple Hollywood movies such as Cats, and The Prom, and voicing characters like Peter Rabbit and Biggie in Trolls. However, the TV host appears to have returned to his homeland on a less-than-positive note — but the James Corden hatred didn’t come out of nowhere. There are several reasons many people dislike Corden, both because of his on-screen personality, and what’s been reported of his off-camera conduct.

Why So Many People Dislike James Corden

The British Comedian Is A Divisive Figure

The James Corden controversy re-emerged following his departure from The Late Late Show with James Corden, but it’s not a new phenomenon. While the finale was watched by millions and clips of the show have already garnered millions of views on The Late Late Show YouTube channel, critics of Corden have commented negatively about the episode. This followed a rough couple of years of Corden controversy, such as The Late Late Show segment “Crosswalk the Musical,” which saw the host gyrating at people stuck in traffic. Then, many Friends fans voiced their grievances that Corden hosted Friends: The Reunion.

However, those are just the latest in a long line of controversies that have trailed him throughout his career, as even when he was at his most popular he was still divisive. Critics cite that they don’t buy his “nice guy” image, finding him to be rude and fake in interviews, where he sometimes interrupts or talks over guests. It has also been suggested that the Peter Rabbit 2 actor “constantly needs to sing over” his guests in the fan-favorite segment Carpool Karaoke, and others believe he has crossed the fine line between funny and offensive multiple times.

Numerous accounts exist that call into question Corden’s off-camera personal conduct, many widely documented by the media. There was also the infamous and very uncomfortable encounter with Patrick Stewart at the 2010 Glamor Awards, where Sir Patrick Stewart told Corden off for looking like he “would rather be anywhere else” (via YouTube). It doesn’t help that Corden’s performance in The Prom as an LGBTQ+ character was seen as stereotypical and offensive, and his Golden Globe nomination for the role only heightened the outrage.

Ultimately, the answer to why people don’t like Corden is complicated. Some attribute it to the audience not wanting to see actors from across the pond succeed in Hollywood, his comedy being “bland”, having to rely heavily on celebrity cameos rather than on the quality of his comedy, and his off-screen behavior. So many people’s dislike of James Corden has spawned a petition against his Wicked casting. While it certainly isn’t confirmed that negative criticism influenced his decision to leave The Late Late Show, it likely had an impact.

Related

James Corden’s 10 Best Movies (According To Rotten Tomatoes)

James Corden, known for CBS’s The Late Late Show, has also acted on the big screen, including the recent film, Cats. Here are his top 10 films ranked.

James Corden Is Controversial Behind The Scenes Too

His Behavior Off-Camera Has Caused A Stir

Corden has been the recipient of criticism not just from viewers at home but from other significant industry workers too. British TV director Craig Duncan worked with Corden on the British game show, The League of their Own, where the host was ultimately telling the director how to direct (via Decider). When speaking with the crew about how to shoot the scene, Corden apparently intervened, yelling, “What the f*** is going on here? It’s obvious what you do… It’s so obvious how you shoot it, it’s stupid.” This happened after Duncan had already observed Corden ridiculing and embarrassing a writer.

Corden has also reportedly been rude to the staff of some of the projects he has been involved in. When asked by Jimmy Fallon to name two members of his Late Late Show crew in the “Spill Your Guts” segment, he couldn’t do it and opted to drink a fish smoothie instead. The controversies extend outside his duties as a performer too.

Restaurateur Keith McNally, who owns the Manhattan French brasserie Balthazar, banned Corden from the brasserie in 2022, as McNally claimed the host was rude to the waiting staff on not one but two separate occasions (via Mama Mia). According to McNally, Corden demanded two rounds of free drinks for his party after he found a hair in his food, threatening to post a bad review on Yelp.

On the second occasion, Corden allegedly yelled at the waiting staff after he found egg white in his wife’s omelet. Things got more out of hand when the waiter brought her a new omelet with a side of fries, not the side salad that she ordered. Corden is alleged to have screamed:

”
You can’t do your job! You can’t do your job! Maybe I should go into the kitchen and cook the omelet myself
!”

McNelly wrapped up his story about his experience with Corden by calling him “a tiny cretin of a man. And the most abusive customer to my Balthazar servers since the restaurant opened 25 years ago.”

Why James Corden Left The Late Late Show

James Corden Didn’t Quit Because Of Criticism

Despite the James Corden hatred that’s run rampant both online and in the media, his decision to step down from The Late Late Show was purely due to geography and familial circumstances. While some media outlets have tried to create a narrative stating otherwise, there have been no controversial announcements from any parties involved about why Corden left The Late Late Show. It had nothing to do with his other controversies.

Instead, the host left the show to be closer to his family and to give his kids a fun upbringing in London (via The Independent). Corden reached this decision after having to cancel a summer holiday due to work, explaining:

”
When I told Max [about canceling the holiday], he looked so sad, and I had this sudden revelation of the maths: we’ve only got six more summers with the kids, before they start wanting to go off with their mates. Six if we’re lucky.
”

Despite Corden’s clear communication about leaving The Late Late Show, the prevailing rumor among the public is that he was fired. During an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Corden humorously recounted the disbelief he encounters: “No one believes that I wasn’t fired.” He added that when he shares his desire for his children to grow closer to their grandparents, the response is typically dismissive. This persistent doubt highlights how deeply ingrained the idea is that no one would willingly leave such a lucrative and comfortable position unless forced out. Corden explained (via The Wrap):

“People will honestly be like, ‘You don’t have to give me that bulls–t. It’s fine, mate. If you got fired, you got fired. Because nobody thinks you would ever leave what is — let’s be honest — a cushy existence.”

small

Related

20 Best Talk Show Hosts From US & UK

When it comes to quality talk show hosts, nothing beats the United States and the United Kingdom, especially when it comes to late-night shows.

What James Corden Is In Next: Upcoming TV & Movie Projects

There Isn’t Much On James Corden’s Horizon Yet

Despite the James Corden hatred, it’s definitely not keeping the actor down. The Peter Rabbit franchise is set to continue after the announcement of Peter Rabbit 3. Director Will Gluck announced that he’s already working on the script for the next sequel. Corden’s movie appearance as the protagonist wasn’t well-received, but the movies were still hits and he’ll return nonetheless. In addition to the Peter Rabbit franchise, Corden will provide his voice as part of the star-studded animated movie reboot The Smurfs, alongside the likes of Nick Offerman, Kurt Russell, Natasha Lyonne, and Rihanna.

In a significant shift back to his theatrical roots, Corden recently played the lead role in Joe Penhall’s political drama, The Constituent, at the Old Vic theater. The play marks his first stage appearance since his acclaimed performance in One Man, Two Guvnors. In The Constituent, Corden plays an ex-serviceman whose tumultuous life brings him into sharp conflict in a constituency office, opposite Anna Maxwell Martin, who plays an idealistic opposition backbencher. The role was a more dramatic departure for Corden but one that earned him strong reviews.

He is also set to return to another earlier aspect of his career as it has been announced that Gavin & Stacy will return for a Christmas special in December 2024 with Corden reprising his role as Smithy.

James Corden’s Feud With Lily Allen

Allen Spoke About Her Earlier Friendship With Corden

While James Corden continues to move onto new stages of his career, there continue to be controversies that follow him around with the latest involving fellow British celebrity Lily Allen. In an interview on the BBC podcast, Miss Me?, singer-turned-actor Allen claims that she was friendly with Corden for a period of time after he appeared on her talk show, but suggests he came on too strong:

“Yeah James Corden was a bit of a beg friend for me. [He] came on my chat show and was very flirtatious with me, and we sort of made friends and I introduced him to a group of my friends.”

Allen’s description of Corden as a “beg friend” refers to a friend who is clingy and overly pushy about developing a relationship. In response to Allen’s comments, a source close to Corden told the Daily Mail that he found her assessment to be “tacky” while also suggesting that it is just another bit of negativity that Corden ignores:

“James gets a bunch of heat on how he treats people over and over again and is a very polarizing person. He is a bit like Ellen DeGeneres nowadays, you either like him or you don’t, nothing in between. So, when Lily recently talked s**t about him, to James it was just another day in his life, just another hater.”

Of course, when it comes to unnamed sources who are supposedly close to the subject of the gossip, the information must be taken with a grain of salt. While this latest controversy is not very scandalous, it continues the narrative of putting Corden in the news for something that paints him in a negative light.

What James Corden Has Said About The Online Hate

Corden Doesn’t Pay Attention To The Good Or Bad Things Said About Him

With all of the online hate that James Corden has experienced over the years, he has been forced to address some of it. The story about Corden’s treatment of the staff at the restaurant Balthazar gained so much attention in the press that Corden was forced to address it on his show. The awkward segment saw Corden apologizing for how he treated the staff while also suggesting his behavior was due to concerns over his wife’s allergies.

However, when it comes to the general negative perception of him that exists online, Corden has taken a simpler approach to not paying attention to any of it. When asked about what he thinks of the online conversations about him, Corden explained (via LADbible):

“I mean, I’m the wrong person to ask about it because I don’t ever read anything,” he tells us. So I don’t read anything. I don’t read anything good, I don’t read anything bad. I won’t see this that we’re doing now. I just don’t. I’ve decided that that’s the best way to do it, because I sort of feel I’ve had probably more praise than anyone should get in a lifetime. So with that will come inevitable criticism, so I don’t really mind. My hunch is if I dig down into it, if I ever did, it’s probably as much about the person being critical as it is about me.”

Regardless of what someone’s opinion of Corden is, this is a sound response to what must be a difficult thing to deal with. Corden’s focus on the praise he has received over his career is a healthy approach to take and he is right that anyone who receives so much praise for their work is undoubtedly going to receive some criticism as well. While there may be genuine reasons for disliking things about Corden, he is also right that some of the negativity online is less about the person being criticized and more about the anger of the critic.