How James Corden cracked Hollywood! Inside British star’s late-night reign that saw him hobnobbing with the A-List – before things went splat with omelette-gate controversy
After eight years on television in the U.S., James Corden is now preparing to sign off for good as the host of The Late Late Show tonight.
The TV host, 44, was once unknown to American audiences until he took over for Craig Ferguson as the host of the CBS show back in 2015.
Now, he has become a fixture on television screens across the U.S. – and has made quite the name for himself in the years since moving to Los Angeles from his home in the U.K.
Here, DailyMail.com reflects on Corden’s Hollywood impact – from his countless A-list pals to his sensational falling out with the Balthazar restaurant in NYC in what has been dubbed ‘omelette-gate’.
Here, DailyMail.com reflects on Corden’s legacy during his time in the U.S. – from his countless A-list pals to his sensational falling out with the Balthazar restaurant in NYC
OMELETTE-GATE
Corden was banned – then unbanned – from the NYC restaurant Balthazar when he was accused of rude behavior by the eatery’s owner Keith McNally last year.
McNally branded him a ‘tiny cretin of a man’ as he laid out his grievances with the Tony award-winner host in an Instagram post. He included two examples of his alleged bad behavior – including Corden demanding a free round of drinks after discovering a hair in his food.
In perhaps the most memorable part of the feud, James was accused of yelling at a server after his wife Julia Carey ordered an egg yolk omelette – only to receive the dish served with some egg whites.
The plate was remade but was sent to Carey with a side of fries instead of salad. This was the final straw for James, whom McNally claims began ‘yelling like crazy’ to their server.
Corden was banned – then unbanned – from the NYC restaurant Balthazar when he was accused of rude behavior by the eatery’s owner Keith McNally last year (pictured at Scott’s restaurant in London in 2018 with wife Julia Carey)
‘”You can’t do your job! You can’t do your job! Maybe I should go into the kitchen and cook the omelet myself!”‘ McNally alleged.
Ultimately, Corden apologized for his behavior on his talk show – he insisted he never had actually yelled at anyone, but did assert his wife’s dish had been incorrectly prepared ‘three times’ and that she suffered from a ‘serious food allergy.’
‘The meals came, my wife was given the food that she was allergic to. She hadn’t taken a bite of it or anything, no worries, we sent it back. All was good.
‘As her meal came wrong to the table the third time, in the heat of the moment I made a sarcastic rude comment about cooking it myself. It is a comment I deeply regret.’
McNally ultimately lifted the ban after Corden called him and ‘apologized profusely.’
HOW THE BRITISH TV STAR BROKE AMERICA
With the immense popularity of segments like Carpool Karaoke, James has become one of America’s most beloved late night presenters
After first finding fame as Essex lad Smithy in British sitcom Gavin and Stacey, James Corden has seen a meteoric rise to Hollywood A-lister (pictured, in the sitcom)
The Late Late Show: An A-list favourite
James Corden has played host to many A-lister guests on the Late Late Show. Famous faces who’ve appeared on his show include:
- Tom Hanks
- Lady Gaga
- One Direction
- Britney Spears
- Chris Martin
- Stevie Wonder
- Elton John
- Madonna
- Julia Roberts
- George Clooney
- Christina Aguilera
The Gavin And Stacey star first cracked America when his stage show One Man Two Guvnors transferred to Broadway in 2012 after a successful stint in the West End.
He was then catapulted to worldwide fame after he made his debut as the presenter of The Late, Late Show in 2015, taking over the role from Craig Ferguson.
With the immense popularity of segments like Carpool Karaoke, James has become one of America’s most beloved late night presenters.
And thanks to his success on The Late, Late Show, James has landed a number of roles in Hollywood films like Into The Woods and The Prom, and he has also hosted the Tony Awards.
He has since reportedly more than doubled his wealth to a whopping £50m after moving to Hollywood.
Following his move to LA, James has become one of the partners at film production company Fulwell 73 and seen his assets swell.
He was previously estimated as being worth around £22m, however in 2021 his business’ assets were declared as £140, according to accounts from his company at the time.
The star also has earnings from his film and TV roles, with him thought to earn $7m for The Late Late Show, as well as millions of dollars tied up in his properties.
HOBNOBBING WITH THE HOLLYWOOD ELITE
James and Julia were snapped chatting with fellow guests at the royal wedding, including George and Amal Clooney
Close friends for the presenter and actor include One Direction star Harry Styles, who James recently lent his Palm Springs home to
From decorating the homes of celebrities to hosting them on a chatshow, Julia and James have settled into the centre of life in Los Angeles.
Since relocating to the States, Corden has drawn other high-profile pals into his circle, including U2 frontman Bono and actor Sean Penn. Mary Poppins actress Emily Blunt and her American husband John Krasinski – one of Hollywood’s most popular power couples – are regular guests at his home.
… AND THE TRAPPINGS OF AN LA LIFE
When he was still a jobbing actor, known mainly for his role in the Alan Bennett play The History Boys, Corden shared a flat above a London doughnut shop with Dominic Cooper (now star of hit TV show Preacher).
Corden joked that there was no furniture and only one piece of cutlery, a spatula, and that the fridge contained only ‘half a vitamin water and a Lindt chocolate bunny’.
Today, he shares a £7.3 million mansion in Brentwood, an upmarket LA suburb, with Julia and their three children.
There are seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms and a pool, plus such typically Hollywood features as a wood-panelled library, cinema room and gym.
It also has its own spa and an office complete with high-tech film editing facilities.
While he stays in LA, Corden rents out the family’s £3 million London home in leafy Belsize Park for about £15,000 a month.
His neighbours in Brentwood –just a 20-minute drive from the CBS studios where his chat show is filmed – include Gwyneth Paltrow, Cindy Crawford, Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg.
‘The children are happy and healthy and love their circle of friends,’ says the source. ‘James is a devoted dad and spends a lot of time with the kids. His weekends are sacrosanct.
‘James knows none of this success would mean anything without Julia’s love and support. His family means everything to him.’
Out on the town, Corden favours the luxurious Tower Bar at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, where phone calls and photos are banned. Jennifer Aniston held her 50th birthday party there in February. Corden’s tipple? Don Julio 1492 tequila at £120 a bottle.
‘The best parties are at his house,’ says the source. ‘He’ll hire a team of private chefs and you never know who will be there, from the heads of TV networks to stars like Emily Blunt.’
There is, too, an unlikely friendship with Anna Wintour, the formidable British editor of American Vogue. They met after Anna saw Corden in the Broadway version of the play One Man, Two Guvnors in 2011 and sent him a card telling him she was his biggest fan. ‘Through her, he has met everyone,’ says the source.
James’ Carpool Karaoke has seen the funny-man bantering with megastars like Madonna, Britney Spears and Adele.
Meanwhile stars among their closest circle include One Direction star Harry Styles, with Corden recently lending him his Palm Springs home while the musician was shooting his part in Wilde’s new movie.
His relationship with Mamma Mia star Dominic Cooper dates back to 2004 when they were rooming together and starring in The History Boys, a British campus comedy.
Speaking of their days sharing a flat in London on James’ chat show, The Late Late Show, Dominic reminisced on how they would often sleep in the same bed due to the lack of furniture.
He said: ‘We were never there at the same time much, were we? But when we were, there was absolutely no furniture.
We had a bed, one bed. We only had one piece of cutlery which was a spatula.
‘I remember one depressing evening, he caught me, he came home and I was eating baked beans with the spatula.’
James added: ‘We rented it furnished. It had no furniture in it and we never thought to complain.’
It was Dominic who introduced James to now wife Julia, who was an old school friend of his.
He told People: ‘I said, ‘Hi, Jules. You might be the most beautiful woman in the world.’ She said, ‘Well, thank you very much. That sounds like something you say a lot.’
‘And I said, ‘I’ve never said it before in my life.’ That was it. That was it, really. I was in. And by an absolute miracle, so was she.’
Later, the two slinked off to a corner to plan the rest of their lives, with James revealing: ‘I remember saying to her, ‘Well, what about on Friday we could do nothing together? You could come over and we could just do nothing.
“And then maybe we could do nothing on Saturday, and we could do nothing on the Sunday. And if our evenings are enough of nothing, then maybe this would become something.”
‘And she said, ‘That sounds like a fun idea.’”
James proposed on holiday in the Maldives in 2008, while Julia was expecting their eldest son Max.
They married in September 2012 at Babington House, with a spectacular guest list including Lara Stone, comedian Michael McIntyre, and Snow Patrol lead singer Gary Lightbody.
The couple also have two daughters, Charlotte, five, and Carey, eight.
CLOSE FRIENDS WITH HARRY AND MEGHAN
Prince Harry and James Corden on the Late Late Show. The pair have been friends for years
The couple recently appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden, with Meghan Markle appearing over FaceTime
James and Prince Harry have been friends for years, telling People: ‘The friendship mostly started with being out and about the same places in London.’
The chat show host and his wife Julia attended the royal wedding to Meghan Markle in May 2018.
The funnyman joined a whole galaxy of stars including George and Amal Clooney as well as David and Victoria Beckham.
At the time, he described the nuptials, revealing: ‘It was so lovely. I’ve known Prince Harry about seven years now and it was wonderful.
‘It was one of the most beautiful ceremonies I’ve ever been to. It was gorgeous, it was a whole affair, it was happy, it was joyous, it was uplifting.’
James made a showstopping entrance to the palace afterparty as it was claimed he arrived at Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding reception dressed up as King Henry VIII.
At the time, People Magazine reported the presenter arrived last to the reception, clad in the monarch’s signature Tudor costume, saying he ‘didn’t know what to wear’.
He said: ‘Harry asked me to do some kind of performance…it was fun, it was a really special day.’
Meanwhile the presenter also stole the march on Oprah by airing his antics with Prince Harry days before the prime-time interview that enraged Buckingham Palace.
In a wide-ranging chat mostly carried out on an open-top bus, the Duke of Sussex – or ‘Haz,’ as Corden calls him – reveals he went from ‘zero to sixty’ with Meghan and how the pressures of living in London were ‘destroying my mental health.’
HIS WIFE’S CELEBRITY INTERIORS COMPANY
Meanwhile Julia is co-founded of the interior design company Charles & Co, which counts The Beckhams among its clients
While James has a successful acting and presenting career, his wife Julia runs a hugely successful and popular interior design company.
With a background in TV production, talent management and PR, she founded Charles & Co in 2016 with Vicky Charles, who was the design director for Soho House having worked for the group for 20 years.
The pair were introduced by Soho House CEO Nick Jones and set up the business while Julia was taking time off to have her children.
She handles the business side of Charles & Co, recently telling The Telegraph her role is ‘to allow Vicky to be as creative as possible.’
High-profile clients include the Beckhams, the Clooneys, Emma Stone, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis.
Builds for the pair usually include a ‘social, club-like spaces’ within their homes, including bars, wine cellars, playrooms and even libraries.
Meanwhile others might value a recording studio, with Julia revealing: ‘Being able to record a little voiceover without having to leave your house can make a huge difference, especially if you live outside the city.’
A WW SPONSORSHIP DEAL TO ADD TO HIS EARNINGS
Slimmed down: The star revealed in the New Year that he has signed up to the health and fitness programme. Pictured left in 2018 and right in 2000
In 2021, James was unveiled as the new ambassador for WW, previously known as Weight Watchers, after becoming ’embarrassed’ over his body.
During a chat with Oprah Winfrey on WW’s Facebook page he revealed he ‘hates’ doing exercise but his wife Julia plans circuits for them to do.
James revealed in the New Year that he has signed up to the health and fitness programme to help shift the conversation around wellness.
He said: ‘I want to change the way that I live. I want to be better for my children and for my family. I don’t want to wake up tired, or feel embarrassed when I’m chasing my son on the soccer field and out of breath after three minutes.’
James joined fellow stars DJ Khaled and Robbie Williams in representing the brand and using the platform to get in shape and change their lives.
The TV star, who first burst onto TV screens in scripted series Fat Friends in 2000, said: ‘The weight is not the issue, it’s the wellness of it I am ready to tackle. I’m going to take this year and work towards getting healthy…
James has been candid about his weight struggles in the past and back in 2017 he shed six stone in weight and found major success in Hollywood, however he has also admitted the one food that he can’t stop eating is bread.
Speaking about the last time he was ‘off bread’ for dietary reasons, James recalled an incident while he was out at dinner saying: ”[I have] a sort of battle with food…
‘Then they delivered this basket of warm, fresh bread and we’re like, “It’s happening, we’re doing it. Who are we trying to kid?” ‘It’s our nemesis, it’s out to destroy us!’
Corden ultimately quieted parted ways with the company last year after his ‘multi-year’ deal ran its course, DailyMail.com recently exclusively revealed.
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