The movie star joined Corden on Tuesday, along with his 'Top Gun: Maverick' co-star Monica Barbaro.
Tom Cruise joined James Corden in studio for one of his first live talk show appearances in some time, and used the opportunity to poke fun at the recent news of Corden's impending departure from the Late Late Show.
At the top of Tuesday's episode, Corden introduced the night's guests -- which included Cruise and his Top Gun: Maverick co-star Monica Barbaro -- with his traditional quick check-in at their green rooms.
"James! It's such a privilege to be here, and I'm sorry about the news," a smiling Cruise shared. "I'm sorry you got fired."
It's been less than a week since Corden announced, in a tearful monologue last Thursday, that he'd signed on to do one more season of The Late Late Show, and then would be exiting the series, which he's hosted since March 2015.
"But I just wanted you to know that I'm here for you," Cruise continued, before Corden could correct him. "I'm here for you tonight, and for whatever you need... I would not have fired you."
"Well, I would love it if you could lend me some money," Corden said.
"I told you, anything, James, anything," Cruise deadpanned as the audience laughed.
Corden first signed a contract to host The Late Late Show -- which had been previously hosted by Craig Ferguson -- in 2014 and premiered on March 23, 2015.
Following the news of this being his final season, a source told ET that Corden's exit from the show didn't come as a surprise.
"The Late Late Show crew has been waiting since January for James Corden to re-sign his contract before it was up by the summertime. Some of the crew already had a feeling Corden was not going to re-sign, so, they started looking elsewhere for work opportunities," the source shared.
The source noted that while the exact reason for Corden's departure is unknown, there has been some buzz about him wanting to spend more time with his family.
"I think we all could tell he was ready to go," the source added. "We kind of saw it coming so, it doesn’t surprise us."
There's no word yet on who will take over after Corden departs the show next year.
The Late Late Show airs weeknights at 12:30am ET/PT on CBS. Meanwhile, Top Gun: Maverick flies into theaters May 27.
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