After spending 10 weeks filming 'The Late Late Show With James Corden' from home, the host has returned to a brand-new set.
James Corden is back in the studio! After spending 10 weeks filming The Late Late Show With James Corden from home, the 41-year-old host has returned to a brand-new set.
Corden gave ET a tour of his show's new base, which was built to follow safety precautions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“It's odd,” he admitted, about returning to a studio with new health and safety protocols. “We all get tested twice a week, we all have temperature checks, you are never not sanitizing and you wear a mask all the time. Most of the team [who] make the show are all working remotely on Zoom and stuff. But it does feel nice to leave the house for a second.”
After the pandemic sent everyone home, Corden continued shooting the show from his garage. “It was so isolating,” he reflected. “Don't get me wrong -- I preferred the commute to walk into my garage. But other than that, this feels way better.”
Having said that, Corden noted there’s an “emptiness” in the new studio, which makes him feel like he’s “shooting a wildlife documentary."
In addition to many staff members working from home, he has no live audience and is interviewing guests remotely.
"We built a studio with the safety guidelines that would [make it] the safest way to make a show in this room, with crew being far enough apart," he said of the set redesign. "That's what we tried to do, and it was a long process of trying to get it to that point. We don't know how long it will be before guests can come and join us. We have no idea."
As for everyone’s favorite segment -- Carpool Karaoke -- Corden hasn’t figured out if and how that will be able to continue anytime soon.
“We haven't thought about it at all yet,” he said. “I think it might have to wait. Who knows how long, but we've done it like 50 times. I think it's okay to have a little break.”
The segment’s popularity spawned a spinoff, Carpool Karaoke: The Series, which is up for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series at the Emmy Awards 2020.
Corden is also nominated for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) at the 73rd Annual Tony Awards. “The Tony Awards are so close to my heart, so I felt really pleased that that show got recognized in that way,” he said.
Speaking of recognition, Cardi B gave the comedian a nod for his hilarious parody of her new single with Megan Thee Stallion, “WAP.”
“I'm a real fan of hers and she's always got something to say,” Corden said. “I'm always very, very happy if I'm ever in her orbit.”
See more on Corden, and what he told ET about homeschooling during quarantine, below.
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