James Corden is an English actor, comedian, and television host. He hosts The Late Late Show with James Corden, a late-night television talk show on CBS. Along with Welsh actress Ruth Jones, Corden co-created, co-wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey (2007–2010) for which he won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Comedy Performance.

Let’s take a deeper dive into the star’s life with 25 things you didn’t know about James Corden.


25. His middle name is Kimberley

James has admitted that he has a fairly usual name. His full name is James Kimberley Corden. He said in an interview: “Literally every man in my family has it – it’s a tradition. For ages I pretended it was Karl, but my sister was going out with one of my mates and told him, then he told the whole school. It wasn’t great.”

“I realised quite early that, being this little chubby lad, I was a target for the lads in the older years. But I found that if you just made them laugh, they’d accept you. I probably used the same tactics then as I do now – that’s the sad thing!” Corden isn’t alone in the celeb world, however: Jennifer Lawrence’s middle name is the unusual ‘Schrader’ and Orlando Bloom could instead go by ‘Blanchard’!

24. If you ever find yourself on a night out with him…

If you ever found yourself on a night out with James Corden and wanted a night out with him, we’ve got you covered. His favourite meal can be found in New York. It is a Shake Shack Burger. He favourite cocktail is an Eastern Standard. This is a cocktail made from vodka, lime, cucumber and mint. His favourite TV show is West Wing and his favourite film is As Good As It Gets. Sounds like a great night out to us!

23. He co-wrote as well as starred in Gavin and Stacey

Corden first rose to people’s attentions when he played Smithy in the British sitcom, Gavin and Stacey. Well he not only starred in the show, he also co-wrote it too! He wrote and created it alongside his co-star Ruth Jones. The show won a string of awards, including two BAFTAs in 2008 for the Audience Award and for the Best Comedy award.

22. He has appeared in two episodes of Doctor Who

James Corden has appeared in two episodes of the classic British science fiction show, Doctor Who. He played the character of Craig Owens in the stories The Lodger and Closing Time. In typical Who fashion, Corden’s character rents a room to Matt Smith’s Doctor but eventually gets caught up in the adventure. He ultimately helps defeat the Cybermen.

Corden told “Den of Geek” in 2011 that he’d appear in Doctor Who again for free, such is his admiration for the venerable UK sci-fi staple. However, given that we’re including his brief appearances as a fact on this list, it’s hard to imagine the BBC’s writers plucking Corden from his chatshow perch, and harder to imagine fans being thrilled at the return of Craig Owens.

21. He was personally scouted to take over The Late Late Show

James Corden currently hosts the Late Late Show in America, one of the biggest gigs on American television. He was actually hand picked for the hosting job by CVS president, Les Mooves, who went to see a Broadway show that Corden was acting in. The TV executive was so impressed that he insisted that James Corden be given the job, even though he was a relative unknown in the US at the time.

20. He was awarded an OBE in 2015

James Corden was awarded an OBE, an Order of the British Empire, back in 2015. The star said: “It’s overwhelming to come back from Los Angeles and then be stood in Buckingham Palace receiving such a thing.” He said he was…”thrilled, overwhelmed and honoured to be recognised in such a way. My family are very proud. My mum is already fretting about what to wear.”

He won his award for services to the entertainment industry.

19. He was in a banned TV advert

Corden was once in a banned advert, promoting the soft drink Tango. The advert featured Corden being chased down the road by men attempting to get him to drink the product. When they eventually catch up with him, James is forced to beg viewers to buy the drink. It was banned because people thought that it might promote and encourage bullying.

18. No one wanted to do Carpool Karaoke

Carpool Karaoke is perhaps one of the most prolific segments on the Late Late Show. Corden invites huge megastar singers to join him in a car and sing with him and interview them. When the idea was first pitched to people, no one wanted to do it, that is not until Mariah Carey came along and saved the day. She had seen George Michael doing the same thing on British television and, being a huge George Michael fan, she couldn’t resist having a go herself!

17. Kanye West has pulled out of Carpool Karaoke twice

Another segment on the Late Late Show is ‘fill your guts or spill your guts,’ and Corden was once playing it with Kris Jenner. Jenner began the game by asking why Corden hadn’t done a Carpool Karaoke with Kanye West yet. “I can answer this easily,” he said, opting out of eating a 1,000-year-old egg. “We’ve tried. He’s cancelled twice, maybe even three times. He cancelled once as I was turning the corner to his house.

“I was in a car and by the time the call finished, I sat outside his house and they were like, ‘He’s not in the zone for it right now. We’ll do it another time.'” However, he did reveal that the rapper sent him a gift. “He sent me … incredible flowers in a cube, a cube of flowers, which I’d never seen before and he sent me a pair of Yeezys,” he said. “People were, like, ‘Whoa, they’re so expensive,’ and I was, like, ‘Yeah, they cost my show $45,000.'”

16. He once got locked out of his own studio

When Corden first started out his show, he once found that he couldn’t get back into his own studio because of security. Despite large billboards with his face on it all across LA and posters on the side of the studio, the security wouldn’t let him enter without his pass. He said in an interview: “Yeah, well here’s the thing. That’s the billboard on the wall of the building where we shoot the show, and I couldn’t get into the building the other day because I didn’t have my pass.

“I went out to get some lunch, picked up some lunch (sushi) and I came in and I went to the guy ‘hey man how you doing’ and he said ‘I’m gonna need to see your pass, you got your pass?’ and I went ‘ahh no, it’s in there.’ And so he went ‘I’m gonna need to see your pass man’ and I went ‘no no no’ – I just left, I literally just walked out and I picked [a poster] up.'”

15. His favourite Carpool Karaoke was with Stevie Wonder

James has had a lot of celebrities in his car, but he has said that he favours one above all others. He has revealed that Stevie Wonder’s Carpool was his favourite. That’s because Stevie rang up Jame’s wife and sang to her down the phone. He sang: “I just want to say how much James loves you” to her. If you watch the clip, you can see that it really gets James choked up. Awww!

14. Celebs are now queuing up to be on the show

James Corden has come on a bit since beginning his stint on the Late Late Show. From no one wanting to appear, apparently celebs are now queueing up to sit beside him in the car. Celebs are always getting their publicists to call in and ask if they can sing along with the British host, just so they can feign amazement that the theatre-trained Corden can hold a tune.

13. This is how they film Carpool Karaoke safely…

You might have wondered how James manages to safely navigate his way around Lost Angeles whilst singing and interviewing some of the biggest stars? Well they do a couple of things to make sure everything is safe as can be. They drive in convoy with two cars ahead of Corden and three behind, and they always take the same route and never travel more than 20 miles per hour.

No cars are allowed around him and the cameras they use to film are really small, so it doesn’t obscure his vision.

12. He appeared in one episode of a British soap when he was young

Even before Gavin and Stacey, Corden was getting himself on television. He appeared very briefly in Hollyoaks, playing the role of Wayne the Caretaker. He has since described his time working on the show like being in prison. “It was a horrible place to work. It was hell on earth. I am sure it has changed a lot now, I was there a long, long time ago but when I was there it was a horrible place to work… It is a bit like a prison.”

11. He has an unlikely friendship with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour

A British comedian, host of a late night talk show and Anna Wintour, famously frosty editor in chief of the world’s leading fashion magazine. The two don’t sound like they go together, but Anna Wintour and James Corden are actually close pals. It began when Anna saw him perform on Broadway in the show One Man, Two Guvnors. Wintour sent him a card before one of his shows saying ‘To James. From your biggest fan and most avid stalker, Anna.’

When the show moved to New York, the two would go for lunch once a month. They have gone on to form a close friendship and see each other regularly, with Wintour inviting Corden to prestigious fashion shows alongside the likes of David Beckham, and the MET Gala alongside more celebrities than you could possibly shake a stick at.

10. He’s won one of theatre’s most prestigious awards

In 2012, Corden won one of theatre-land’s most prestigious awards, a Tony Award. Corden was honoured for his role in One Man, Two Guvnors, which transferred from the West End to Broadway. It was also the show from which he caught the attention of CVS president, Les Mooves. He said he was “overwhelmed” at being nominated alongside such highly-regarded actors, saying: “To be on a list with you was enough and holding this, it honestly just reminds me that there is no such thing as best.”

9. There’s one guest he wants more than anybody on Carpool Karaoke

Even though many of the world’s biggest stars, such as Madonna, Elton John and Mariah Carey, have already ridden with James, there are still a few who he has yet to get his hands on. Other than Kanye West, who has bailed on him twice, Corden has said he would love to get Beyonce to sing with him. Beyonce has been on his wish-list ever since the show began.

He has said he would also like to get Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift.

8. He takes dance classes three times a week

James might be one of the busiest people in Hollywood, but he still finds time to keep fit. He does this by taking regular dance classes, attending PlyoJam classes three times a week. It is a type of dance which uses Plyometrics, a type of training which centre around intense jumping.

7. He fell out with Patrick Stewart at an awards show

9 years ago, back in 2010, Corden presented the GLAMOUR awards. Whilst doing it, he ended up in a spat with Patrick Stewart, the famous Star Trek and X-Men actor. It all started when Patrick said to James: “Don’t stand at the back of the stage with your hands in your pockets, looking around as though you wished you were anywhere but here.”

James said that he couldn’t be anymore wrong, and that when you come up to present an award, “just f****ing get on with it.” Patrick then took a jibe at James’ weight, saying that he could see his belly from the back of the room. Happily, the pair have since made up, with Stewart appearing on The Late Late Show in 2015 and admitting that remarking on Corden’s weight was inappropriate.

6. He’s worth a lot of money

Being the host of one of America’s biggest chat shows and appearing in Hollywood films such as Into The Woods, it’s no wonder that Corden is raking it in. It is estimated that Corden is worth around a whopping £10 million. It’s a good job he has so much money, considering his recent tax difficulties. He was once hit with a £709,395 tax bill due to him closing down his company ‘JK Corden Limited.’

5. He lived with Dominic Cooper before they were famous

James Corden and Dominic Cooper may be stars of US television now – Corden with The Late Late Show, Cooper with AMC’s Preacher – but once upon a time they were just anonymous, jobbing actors. Amazingly, it was in this pre-fame period, before anybody knew who they were, that Corden and Cooper met and actually ended up living together.

Speaking with Cooper on The Late Late Show in 2016, Corden revealed that the pair’s first flat had just one bed and one piece of ‘cutlery’: a spatula. It was through Cooper that Corden ultimately met his wife Julia, with whom Corden eventually moved in, leaving his History Boys co-star behind. Cooper has since risen to fame in movies like Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again.

4. Cooper is also godfather to Corden’s son

They may not have lived together since 2010, but Corden and Cooper’s relationship has continued long after their flatsharing days. Corden and Cooper are still so close, in fact, that Corden made Cooper godfather to his son, Max. Corden revealed this on an episode of The Late Late Show, on which Corden and Cooper were tested on how well they knew each other.

Naturally, when asked if he could remember his godson’s middle name, Cooper went blank – and was promptly shocked by the late-night host.

3. He’s a bestselling musician in the UK

Carpool Karaoke and Into the Woods aren’t the only musical hits of James Corden’s career. Back in 2010, five years before he made the big leap to US late night television, Corden was a big star in the UK thanks to his role in the sitcom Gavin & Stacey. It was around this time that Corden decided to collaborate with UK rapper Dizzee Rascal, on the 2010 World Cup song Shout (Shout for England).

Featuring Corden on vocals, the novelty record was such a hit, it went straight to number 1 in the UK singles charts.

2. He and Mathew Horne fell out so badly they didn’t work together for a decade

In the mid- to late-2000s, Mathew Horne and James Corden were the biggest double act in Britain, so inseparable that, says Corden, in one year they spent 263 days together. Thanks to a sketch show, a movie, regular hosting gigs and Gavin & Stacey (in which they were co-stars), at one time it seemed the two were never off British screens.

However, Horne and Corden haven’t been seen together since a whirlwind 2010 – and it seems the relationship between the pair has never fully healed. Both Corden and Horne have acknowledged that they ultimately just grew tired of the double act, with Horne saying in 2017 that the pair went through a “difficult time” and weren’t entirely prepared for the onslaught of fame.

1. His home costs him $80,000 a month

Considering all the money he makes, it’s no surprise that Corden can afford some prime real estate for he and his family to live in. Corden’s Malibu pad, in which he lives with his wife and three children, costs him $80,000 every month. It’s no surprise, considering the LA home looks out to the Pacific and opens up onto the beach. The house, which has six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a gym and an infinity pool, is said to be worth $24 million.