From beloved sitcom star to controversial talk show host, James Corden's career has been a rollercoaster of public opinion. Join us as we explore the rise and fall of this divisive comedian, examining his most infamous moments and the reasons behind his widespread unpopularity.
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00:00And we asked him to take part in this program. Right. And he chose not to.
00:07I didn't know that. Welcome to Watch Mojo and today we're discussing the career of infamous
00:13comedian James Corden and explaining why this man is so loathed by the general public.
00:19For those who don't know, James Corden is a comedian and actor from London,
00:23best known for his role as Smithy in the sitcom Gavin and Stacey, a show written by Corden and
00:29his co-star Ruth Jones. Someone to help you and support you and be around. I'm saying you've
00:36already got that. The show was a hit and Corden became quickly adored by fans who saw him as a
00:43rising comedy star. He began to branch out, starring in a variety of other movies and TV
00:48shows such as Lesbian Vampire Killers and sketch comedy series Horn and Corden. Both of these were
00:55terribly received, with Corden even saying his sketch series was a complete mistake,
01:00with critics calling it excruciating and critiquing its problematic and childish comedy.
01:06Horn, solid as a rock. He's waiting. But Corden, he seems to have gone to pieces.
01:12So within three years of Gavin and Stacey airing, Corden's reputation had already deteriorated.
01:18His first major controversy came in 2010 when Sir Patrick Stewart criticised his hosting of
01:24the Glamour Awards. Stewart told him he looked like he'd rather be someplace else,
01:29since he was standing around with his hands in his pockets, looking rather bored.
01:33Oh, you couldn't be more wrong, sir. You couldn't be more wrong. Oh, genuinely. And if it looked
01:39like that, I'm so sorry. But when you come up and present an award, just f***ing get on with it.
01:45There we go. While Stewart's goading of him wasn't blameless,
01:49many said Corden's response was uncalled for and painfully arrogant.
01:53Sorry, I'm waiting for the punchline. Go on. No, seriously, go on.
01:57Okay. No, go on.
02:00You can see my belly and we can all see you dying right now. Let's go for it. Here we go.
02:05The incident quickly became viral, and the spat marked one of the earliest
02:10signs of his divisive public persona. It was around this point that reports of
02:14his rudeness began to see the light of day. When the cameras were off, he was allegedly
02:19quite unpleasant to work with. When Gavin and Stacey won the TV Program of the Year award at
02:24the 2008 BAFTAs, the first thing Corden said on stage was a complaint about not being nominated
02:30for the comedy award. Others noticed him grow increasingly unpleasant as time went on,
02:35for instance, when he began to host the game show A League of Their Own.
02:38Reports claim he mocked one of the writers and started giving directions for the director.
02:43While discussing shooting one scene, Corden supposedly lost his temper and shouted,
02:48what the f**k is going on here? It's obvious what you do, it's so obvious how you shoot it,
02:53it's stupid. The show's director went on to brand him as the most difficult and obnoxious
02:58presenter on television. It's said he even started treating his co-star and long-time
03:02friend Ruth Jones poorly, highlighting how quickly the fame had gone to his head.
03:08Eventually, in 2015, it was Corden's time to run to America, probably due to the negative opinion
03:14the British public had of him. The late, late show's previous host, Craig Ferguson, left the
03:19show, and it was Corden who took up his position. This was when he became widely known in the States,
03:24with popular comedy segments like Fill Your Guts or Spill Your Guts, and most famously,
03:29Carpool Karaoke. He tries to come across as an everyman, but his talk show makes him appear the
03:34complete opposite of this. He's rude in interviews, regularly talking over guests and interrupting
03:40their sentences. Carpool Karaoke is a treasure trove of irritability, with Corden often appearing
03:46overly theatrical and never sincere. He's usually determined to sing louder than his celebrity
03:52guests, and puts the focus on his antics rather than the celebrity guests. You know I'm f**king
03:57sitting right here! Additionally, it turns out he wasn't even driving the car, he was being towed
04:03along, misleading everyone. He also felt fake in his interactions, usually pretending to be overly
04:09familiar with A-list celebrities. It was during this era he became more viral, appearing in more
04:15events and commercials than ever before, as if he was trying to force his way into every branch
04:20of pop culture. Numerous high-profile opportunities presented themselves to Corden, from major movie
04:26roles to hosting award shows. One of the most famous of these was Cat, where he played the role
04:31of Bustopher Jones. His appearance in this movie was a thing of nightmares, with him being turned
04:45into a disgusting CGI humanoid cat in a suit. It was such an appalling film, Corden has admitted
04:51to never even bothering to watch it himself. Another controversial appearance was in The Prom,
04:56where he was cast to play a gay character. Sure, Corden is somewhat flamboyant in his mannerisms,
05:07but he is a straight actor, which reinforces offensive stereotypes. His portrayal of the
05:12character relied on outdated, exaggerated cliches about gay men, making his performance feel more
05:18like an insensitive caricature, rather than an authentic and nuanced portrayal.
05:26Controversies became a regular occurrence for the comedian during this time. For example,
05:37in August 2017, Liam Gallagher called him a knobhead. This was a response to being asked
05:42if he'd star on Carpool Karaoke, which he harshly refused. Gallagher went on to admit that he's
05:48never seen Gavin and Stacey, because he knows he won't like it, since James Corden is a knobhead.
05:53In October 2017, he made some awful quality Weinstein jokes when hosting the Amphar Gala.
06:06The audience responded mainly with sighs of disappointment, and Corden quickly
06:10apologised following the event. He was also accused of stealing material from Noel Fielding
06:15in 2017, which was a joke about distracting robbers by whispering to them.
06:24Ricky Gervais has also accused him of the same thing,
06:34when he copied one of his jokes almost word for word.
06:54Potentially his most famous controversy was him being named the most abusive customer ever,
07:00by the owner of the Balthazar restaurant in New York in 2022.
07:12His wife ordered an omelette, and when it arrived, there was raw egg white in it.
07:17The staff then replaced the food, and sent it back with fries, as opposed to salad,
07:21which they ordered. Anyone would be quite upset, but Corden took it a step too far,
07:26and allegedly began yelling like crazy. He supposedly screamed,
07:30you can't do your job, maybe I should go into the kitchen and cook the omelette myself.
07:34A New York Times reporter asked him about this, and he said to have gotten mad about it once again,
07:39saying it was, beneath your publication.
07:42In 2023, he finally gave up hosting the Late Late Show,
07:51making sure to get one last terrible carpool karaoke with Adele.
08:03Originally the segment was more lighthearted, but its finale was overly sentimental,
08:08and particularly self-indulgent. He focused much more on his emotional farewell,
08:12rather than Adele, giving the episode an inauthentic feel.
08:30It was an attempt to frame his departure in a positive light,
08:33despite all the controversies surrounding his career.
08:36Corden claimed he left to spend time with his family,
08:38rather than because of the hate he was receiving, but we'll never truly know for sure.
08:48Once again working in the UK, he has made two Christmas specials for Gavin and Stacey,
08:52the first of which was relatively well received.
08:55As famous Corden critic and comedian Brian Limond pointed out,
08:59James told one of the Kardashians that,
09:02This is because the pair were drinking champagne on a Monday afternoon,
09:06while Corden gave her a fake and insincere pep talk about disregarding haters.
09:17So even though everyone despises him, it doesn't upset the man.
09:20He's won.
09:21You could say this statement showcases his self-assured outlook on fame,
09:25however, to some, it perfectly encapsulates why people despise Corden.
09:31A sense of detachment from reality,
09:33and a difficulty understanding why people are so disenchanted with him.
09:37As he returns to the UK, time will tell if he'll regain their favor,
09:41or primarily be remembered for his controversies and his seemingly fake personality.
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