James Corden is a British entertainer, best known for hosting The Late Late Show with James Corden and the show’s most popular recurring segment, “Carpool Karaoke.” Given that Corden’s career centers around the late night talk show, which films in Los Angeles, people might be wondering if James Corden has become an American citizen?
James Corden is not an American citizen. Despite calling Southern California home since taking over as host on The Late Late Show in 2015, the comedian solely retains his British citizenship.
Read more below about how the English comedian captured the heart of America, what he misses about his native country, and whether or not he intends to pursue citizenship in the United States in the future.
British Beginnings
James Corden was born and raised in the Greater London area. Unlike many celebrities, Corden did not pursue acting or comedy as a child, and he did not take the stage until he was 18-years old.
Corden worked on a variety of television shows, commercials, and lesser known films before finding mild success with Fat Friends and History Boys. It wasn’t until James Corden came up with the idea for the hit U.K. show, Gavin and Stacey, that he came to prominence in the British media.
The show was a critical and commercial hit, but Corden was still relatively unknown across the pond. It was not until Corden was chosen to take over hosting duties from predecessor Craig Ferguson that his Hollywood star began to rise.
Los Angeles and The Late Late Show
Corden himself was surprised to be handed the reins to the show, thinking he was meeting with head honchos at CBS about a new sitcom he had pitched. Instead, he was given the opportunity to take up the mantle from Ferguson, who had hosted the show for nearly a decade.
During an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Corden described how unsure he was of the gig, assuming he would be fired, saying, “We rented furniture. We rented a couch, everything in our house because I was like, ‘I’m gonna get fired and the only thing worse than getting fired would be getting fired and then left with a couch that we’ve got to get rid of somehow because we’ll be on the first flight back to London just going, ‘Well that was a disaster.’ I genuinely meant that.”
You can see James Corden discuss his move to America in the YouTube video below.
Despite Corden’s doubts, he was a hit with audiences, snagging high profile guests, not only for interviews, but also for “Carpool Karaoke” segments, which find the host carpooling with celebrities while they sing along to famous tunes. Not only that, but Corden and the show cleaned up on the award show circuit, racking up multiple Emmy nominations and wins.
Living Large and Feeling Homesick
Though Corden and his wife finally bought a pricey pad in 2017, the comedian often feels homesick while living stateside, often not getting to visit England for months at a time. In an interview with Event magazine, Corden said, “I’m almost certain we won’t live here forever. With young kids it feels like a really great place to live. But then? I don’t know. At some point the phone is going to ring and in that instant we’re going to feel a million miles away from people who might need us. That’s what weighs on my mind.”
Despite the distance, Corden remains close to his family back home, often sharing snaps of his siblings on Instagram.
The late night show host has also joked that his kids are very Americanized, even speaking in an American accent, even though they are being raised with two British parents. Corden has also been very vocal about his dislike and apprehension of President Donald Trump, quipping that he was very lucky Trump was not his president.
Despite any misgivings Corden might have about living in Los Angeles, he clearly loves his job on The Late Late Show, recently extending his contract for two more years until 2022. Though it seems unlikely that Corden will pursue American citizenship, stateside audiences can breathe easy knowing the charming comedian will be gracing their screens for a little while longer.