'I just think it's silly. I think it's mostly just people trying to drum up something that doesn't exist,' says the British comedian when responding to the shakeup reports.
- Aug 16, 2016
AceShowbiz - James Corden is not competing with Stephen Colbert in anyway, despite reports suggesting otherwise. The "Late Late Show" host has denied rumors that his show will take over the "Late Show" host's 11:35 P.M. timeslot.
"I just think it's silly," he tells Variety when responding to the rumors. "I think it's mostly just people trying to drum up something that doesn't exist. The reason it doesn't exist is that I know my boss [CBS CEO Leslie Moonves], and I know that when he makes a decision, that's the decision he's going to make. He's going to stick by that and so should he."
There have been swirling reports that "The Late Late Show with James Corden" and "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" could switch places due to ratings. He, however, says this about time slots, "I just find the very notion of talking about time slots to be something archaic really. It kind of feels like telling the time with a sundial."
He continues, "My son when he grows up, he's not going to have any notion of scheduling or something being on at a certain time. Our show's on 24 hours a day as far as I'm concerned. We just launch it at 12:37. I couldn't tell you how many people watch our show. I couldn't tell you when it's on, because I just don't make a show that's about time slot in any way."
Corden goes on praising Colbert's show. "Have you watched Stephen's show in the last two weeks? It's incredible. It's fantastic. It's been just awesome to watch," he gushes, "I'm incredibly proud to be the show on after his. I think he is an incredible talent and a host and a broadcaster and a voice. That show, I feel like it's finding its feet every single day."
Colbert previously responded to the rumors in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in July. He said at the time, "It hurts. I'm a human being. Yeah, I care." He admitted, "The implication of that question is that the show isn't good enough in its present position. So of course that makes you feel bad. But it doesn't jibe with what I know about our show, so you recover."
Corden's "Late Late Show" has soared in ratings partly due to popular segments like "Carpool Karaoke" and "Drop the Mic", both of which will get their own series on Apple Music and TBS respectively.
