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Jay Shetty Podcast

James Corden ON Work-Life Balance, Family Struggles, & The REAL Reason He Left Late-Night

On today’s episode of the podcast, I’m joined by actor, comedian, Carpool Karaoke creator, and former host of The Late Late Show, James Corden.

James CordenguestJay Shettyhost

Feb 5, 20241h 39mWatch on YouTube

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CHAPTERS

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Chapter summaries

Why James Left Late Night: Work Should Feed Life
Jay Shetty opens by praising James Corden's career of self-disruption and asks whether leaving late night fits that pattern. James explains he separates work from life and left the show because it no longer fed him and his family, not because it stopped being fun.
- •Jay frames James's career as repeated risk-taking, from Gavin & Stacey to the West End, Broadway and late night
- •James says there are as many misses as hits
- •He judges work by whether it feeds his life and family
- •Ending the show was not about enjoyment or money
Not Knowing the Outcome: Reasons Over Results
James says he can't yet tell whether stopping the show was good or bad, though he is sure of his reasons. Jay shares the Zen horse story, and they discuss how expectations ruin experiences and how success should be redefined around the climb.
- •His friend Louis's view that a rejected Hulu show might have been the worst thing to happen
- •The Zen farmer story of good thing, bad thing, who knows
- •Expectation of how life will be after some milestone is the real problem
- •Jay sums it up as being sure of your reasons, not the results
- •Success is the climb, not the summit or trophies
Early Love of Performing and Dreams of the West End
Asked where his drive came from, James recalls always wanting to perform, starting with standing on a chair at his sister's christening in the Salvation Army. His early ambition was simply to be in a West End musical.
- •He doesn't remember a time he didn't want to perform
- •Grew up in a Salvation Army family where church felt normal
- •At four, pulling faces from a chair at his sister's christening, he decided life was a quest to be up there
- •His peak ambition was a West End musical, achieved at 17
Misses, Cats, and Separating Experience from Outcome
Jay asks about painful misses. James says some work simply isn't good, and he doesn't regret Cats because of the experience of sitting with Ian McKellen and Judi Dench. The one he wishes had found an audience is Mammals, and he reflects on how life can flip with one phone call.
- •Separate your experience from a project's outcome
- •No regret over Cats, given the afternoon with Ian McKellen and Judi Dench
- •Mammals is the one he wishes more people had found
- •Life can change in a phone call, and his friend's 'sniper's alley' remark about turning 45
- •He now thinks less about work and more about health
James's Reflection Process and Letting Ideas Grow
Asked about his reflection process, James puts his children first and says he now asks what is worthy of his time. He describes treating new ideas like a plants rather than leaping on them, and the mantra of just doing the thing.
- •'You're only as happy as your least happy child'
- •He said yes to too much while hosting, partly so his acting return wouldn't be a shock
- •Asks what is worth missing school drop-off or pick-up for
- •Walks for 10,000 steps and lets ideas grow like a plant
- •Doing the thing rather than talking about it
A Narcissist's Dream: Life Inside The Late Late Show
Responding to Jay's question about identity without performing, James calls it ego and describes the perks of hosting late night, from faces on the walls to the nightly curtain ritual. He reflects on the quiet period since leaving and always knowing the show wouldn't last forever.
- •Late-night hosting as a narcissist's dream, with his face everywhere
- •Missing his daily exchange with the CBS front desk greeter
- •Standing behind the curtain asking his granddad to be with him and enjoy the next hour
- •1,198 shows and the value of this quiet period
- •He always planned to leave before it faded
The Balloon Analogy: Letting Go to Make Room for New
Jay says holding on to things is a fool's game, and James offers the image of a child holding a balloon. He argues you must let go to make space for something new, illustrated by a friend's heartbreak.
- •Tying a balloon to your wrist leaves you dragging it as it wilts
- •Letting go can feel magical and makes room for another balloon
- •A friend's first heartbreak and James's reassurance that he'd get to love again
- •Expectation is what makes us hold on
- •Ebbing and flowing makes good and bad all feel good for you
Taking Fame and Success with a Bag of Salt
Prompted by the applause sign, Jay shares the Marcus Aurelius story of the assistant whispering 'you're just a man.' James describes his career phases, why he sees selfies as not really about him, and the habit of taking everything with a pinch of salt.
- •Jay tells the Marcus Aurelius story
- •James admits falling into the pitfall of thinking he was more of a dude than he was
- •Entering 'phase three' of his career
- •Selfie requests are people getting something for their story
- •Take good and bad with the same bag of salt and stay aware of how lucky you are
Sleep, Drinking, and Borrowing from Tomorrow
James says his mood largely depends on his sleep and calls it an extraordinary gift, citing Alan Sugar's book on babies' routines. Talking about drinking, he shares a friend's idea of how much of tomorrow you want to borrow.
- •Jay's supplement and jet lag trouble sleeping
- •His 12-year-old sees sleep as punishment
- •Adults treat sleep less seriously than babies' routines
- •Friend Jez's question: how much of tomorrow do I want to borrow
- •James wants to cut back on drinking without a big declaration
Stop Going on a Diet, Just Change Something
James says he no longer thinks about weight loss and wants to do what is healthy. Jay discusses New Year's resolutions, and James passes on his friend Simon's advice that a diet is like a holiday you return from, so you should just change how you live.
- •Extremes from December indulgence to January restriction rarely last
- •Simon's line that going on a diet is like going on a holiday
- •Don't broadcast it or set targets like 20 pounds in 35 days
- •'Don't go on something, just change something'
- •Fondness for time with wardrobe designer Lauren Shapiro
Male Friendship, Vulnerability, and a Talk with His Son
They discuss lifelong friendships and how admitting you're struggling is brave. James tells the Louis 'Jersey Boys' phone call story, then recounts telling his son 'I haven't changed' and the importance of good role models around his children.
- •Saying 'I'm not doing too great' is a brave act that lifts part of the burden
- •Louis's 3:30am call: a fact about never seeing Jersey Boys
- •Involving friends with children
- •His conversation with his 12-year-old, with a code word to remember it
- •Other influences will matter more to his kids as they grow
Moving Home to London and Marriage Communication
James explains the family's move back to London was driven by his wife and kids, and describes crying at his mum's choir concert. Asked about marriage, he credits learning from his wife, not sleeping on arguments, and focusing on meeting your partner's needs.
- •His wife followed the beat of his drum for years, so they moved home
- •Ending the show was settled with his boss George with no agents or lawyers
- •His mum's choir in High Wycombe showed why the move was worthwhile
- •Don't go to sleep on an argument
- •If you try to meet your partner's needs, yours are met
Beckham, Sport, Music, and Feeling Less Alone
Jay brings up James's bromance with David Beckham and the Beckham documentary. James sees it as a story of getting back up, and argues sports stars and musicians have a distinct kind of fame because they make people feel less alone, before they recall the ugly statue prank.
- •Aaron Sorkin's commencement speech and the line about getting back up one more time than being knocked down
- •The Beckham doc as a story of perseverance
- •Sport and music give moments that unite people
- •The History Boys speech about poetry reaching out a hand
- •Recalling the statue prank for Beckham
This Life of Mine and What Comes Next
Asked about his creative process in stillness, James says he isn't rushing but won't be afraid to try things. He describes his podcast idea from age 16 and hopes to write one more thing, maybe with Ruth Jones, inspired by Bradley Cooper giving himself fully to a project.
- •Not forcing ideas but not being scared of failure
- •Quote about success making you fearful of losing your place
- •This Life of Mine began as a teenage idea called Planet Lovely
- •Hopes to write again with Ruth Jones
- •Bradley Cooper's total commitment to Maestro as inspiration
Final Five with James Corden
James answers the closing rapid-fire questions, covering best and worst advice, current purpose, Tom Cruise, and a proposed law limiting social media use.
- •Best advice: ask 'Is this of my concern?'
- •Worst advice: 'Just do it' without asking whether you want to
- •Current purpose is to let it be and accept life
- •Law: locked out of social media for as long as you were on it
- •Silicon Valley executives rejected the idea

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