The TV host bid farewell to his audience and his show after eight years.
After more than eight years, The Late Late Show With James Corden has come to an end. The affable host made his final appearance on Thursday, and was joined by some famous friends and surprise guests.
Before the actual finale, Corden hosted a primetime special that featured pre-taped segments -- including his final Carpool Karaoke with Adele, which was released online ahead of the finale episode.
The primetime special also featured some fun moments with his longtime friend and stunt-buddy Tom Cruise doing something to truly get their adrenaline pumped up -- live musical theater. The pair, donning animal costumes, performed on stage in Hollywood in scenes from The Lion King, and it was truly something unique.
When it came time for the last proper episode of The Late Late Show, Corden started things off with a fun skit about getting locked in the stairwell -- which, as Harry Styles points out through the window of one of the locked doors, is terrible timing, as it's his last show and all.
However, Corden had a hard time not getting overwhelmed with emotion when it came time for his final monologue, as he spoke with his mom and dad in the audience, and was met with a wave of cheers and chanting from the audience.
The host got a very special video message from President Joe Biden, who lovingly poked fun at Corden while also praising his impressive and influential tenure during his time on the show.
"After the day you worked at the White House, I’m surprised you lasted 8 years in any job," Biden quipped -- referring to Corden's White House visit last year -- before expressing some heartfelt congrats for Corden's accomplishments.
As for the night's main celebs, Harry Styles and Will Ferrell were tasked with serving as the Late Late Show's last-ever guests -- and Ferrell made sure to leave his mark, literally. He came out with a huge mallet and smashed Corden's desk to pieces in a rebellious explosion of performance art.
The highlight of the night was one last installment of Corden's recurring game "Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts" -- where Corden, Styles and Ferrell had to either answer tough personal questions or get out of it by eating gross foods.
This is were one of the more noteworthy moments came, as Corden asked Styles if there might ever be a One Direction reunion. Surprisingly, Styles didn't shoot the idea down.
"I fear it’s not a yes or no question. I would never say never to that," Styles shared. "I think that if there was a time where that was something we all wanted to do, I don’t see why we wouldn’t."
The interview with Styles and Ferrell got notably more heartfelt when the pop icon spoke candidly about how proud he's been to see Corden shine during his time on the show.
"Can I just say that as a friend, I'm so incredibly proud of you for everything you've done. I remember when you decided to take on doing the show and watching you do it has been incredibly inspiring to me," Styles shared. "On a personal note, you've been a safe space for me always, as a friend."
"I am selfishly very excited that you're coming home. But I'm so happy for you," he added, "And I'm really, really proud of you and I love you."
It wasn't just former celeb guests who got in on the fun of sending Corden off. Other late night hosts also made sure to drop in for a funny sketch featuring Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon.
The group of fellow host warned Corden to not reveal any behind-the-scenes secrets about being a late night host, and cautioned him to not make retirement look like fun. Colbert suggest he grow a long, wild beard -- which was the queue for David Letterman to make an appearance.
Corden spoke with ET ahead of his final show, and explained why he felt "compelled" to organize his departure now.
"You don't want to be making a mistake but I just feel compelled to do it," Corden told ET's Nischelle Turner. "I feel like I've got to, I feel like if I don't leave now, I never will...or it will be me just being pushed out the door."
Corden first announced plans to leave The Late Late Show in April 2022. He remained host for a final season before his official departure this week.
Corden told ET that his goodbye to the show is one of many changes for his family this year -- he is now prepping for a move back to London with his wife, Lisa, and their three children.
"Change in your life comes with a huge amount of fear, professional, personal," he said. "We're going to move back to London, we're going to put three kids into a new school. That in itself would be a lot to do, and then to walk away from what just has been the most magical experience I could have ever wished for...to, with intention, turn everything upside down comes with a lot of fear."
To Corden, though, the fear signals that he's doing something right. "I just think how things end is important," he said. "How you close things off is really, really important. I think that it matters, and I think I've done 1200 shows by the time we finish -- that is a lot of TV. We have done things on the show that far exceeded anything I thought we were capable of."
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