James Corden Says 'No One Believes' He 'Wasn't Fired' As Talk Show Host

James Corden said Tuesday that people in his native England believe he got axed as the host of CBSs The Late Late Show and he cant convince them otherwise. (Watch the video below.)

The comedian visited Jimmy Kimmels show on ABC nearly a year after his final episode on CBS, capping an eight-year reign that produced the popular Carpool Karaoke and Crosswalk the Musical segments.

Corden announced his decision to leave The Late Late Show in April 2022 and signed off for good on April 27, 2023, just days before a writers strike forced most talk shows to go dark. His jovial image had already taken a blow when he was he was accused of verbally abusing servers  at Balthazar restaurant in Manhattan. He was also accused of stealing a joke  by fellow British comedian Ricky Gervais.

It seems fellow Brits have a jaundiced eye regarding the circumstances of his departure now that hes living again in London.

People are very nice, but no one believes that I wasnt fired, Corden told Kimmel, prompting laughter. Ill be in a pub or something and people will be like ...  So whyd you come back?

Corden said he told the doubters that he wanted his son Max to have a relationship with his grandparents, echoing a previous explanation he gave involving all three of his children.

People will honestly be like, You dont have to give me that [bleep], its fine mate. If you got fired, you got fired, Corden continued on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Because nobody thinks that you would ever leave what is, lets be honest, a cushy existence.

Kimmel jokingly advised him to obtain a note from CBS confirming he left of his own free will.

They dont know what CBS is, so theyll go, Well thats not a real thing. Corden replied. And then I have to tell them what the show was and theyll go, Hang on, it was on at 12:30 at night? Thats a ridiculous time to put a TV show on.

Corden, whose wife and kids joined him for their first trip back to Los Angeles since bidding the city goodbye, was promoting his podcast This Life of Mine and a new play he stars in, The Constituent .

Its quite the pay cut, he said of the latter.

Fast-forward to 3:55 for Cordens difficulties with skeptical Brits: