James Corden: The Man Who Made the World Hate Him

WatchMojo

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.

Transcript

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.

09:53Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from WatchMojo,

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