CBS Couldn't Afford to Continue Making 'the Late Late Show': Report
The final episode of "The Late Late Show with James Corden" aired on April 27.
Corden, the show's fourth host, announced his exit last year.
An executive told Los Angeles Magazine that the show was "simply not sustainable."
Top editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
CBS aired its final episode of "The Late Late Show" after a 28-year run on April 27 and its termination may have had to do with the show's declining profitability.
Sources told Brian Stelter for Los Angeles Magazine that the late-night show, hosted by James Corden since 2015, cost $60 million to $65 million a year to produce but only made less than $45 million.
"It was simply not sustainable," an anonymous executive told Stelter: "CBS could not afford him anymore."
Corden announced his exit as a host in April 2022, but it was unclear at the time if the Late Late Show franchise would continue.
Since Corden took the helm, the show has received 12 Emmy nominations and won the award for Outstanding Interactive Program in 2019. Some of the show's most popular segments included "Carpool Karaoke" and "Spill Your Guts," in which celebrities had to answer a question truthfully or eat unfamiliar foods.
According to Deadline, the show averaged 971,000 viewers in the 2020-21 season. Seth Meyers' "Late Night," which also shares the 12:30 a.m. Eastern time slot, averaged 1.01 million viewers.
But keeping Corden on board was a costly expense. According to Variety, Corden's salary was around $4 million to $5 million when he first signed onto the show in 2015. His pay increased an undisclosed amount in 2019 to ensure the British host stayed onboard for another three years.
A CBS spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.
Source: Insider
