What's Next For Trevor Noah and James Corden?

The world of late night television is truly run by the man or woman who is positioned behind the desk, so much so that the show itself usually becomes synonymous with a single familiar funny face. In fact, many shows are more recognizable for their hosts than they are for the show itself. Many people may not know a thing about the "Late Show", "Tonight Show", or "Late Night", but ask what they think of Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, or Seth Meyers, and they’ll start gushing about how funny and entertaining their shows are. This is why it is such a big deal that, in the last five months, both Trevor Noah of "The Daily Show" and James Corden of "The Late Late Show" have decided to move on from the world of late night television and surrender their seat as the figurehead of the show. Now why would someone ever leave such a coveted position? Having a job that allows you to be on TV, make jokes every night, and has a pretty sick salary to boot seems like a dream come true. Let’s dig into why these two titans of television decided it was time to step away and what's in store for them in the future. 

When Trevor Noah left "The Daily Show", he did it in quite the dramatic fashion, asking to have a word with the viewers and dropping the bomb of his departure onto an unsuspecting audience. In his goodbye, he described how, upon talking to "Daily Show" correspondent Roy Wood Jr., he had realized that 7 years had passed since he took over the "Daily Show" desk from Jon Stewart. This made him realize that he had been there long enough and that it was time for him to move on. He described how he wanted to leave the show on a high note. “A lot of American business and American media is just like, 'Keep it going as long as possible,' but I think it's healthy for things to end when they're still in a good place. I want to leave before I'm burnt out,” explained Noah in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Along with this, 2 of Noah’s 7 years on the show were taken up by the COVID-19 pandemic, which Noah cites as another reason for his departure. In a Between-The-Scenes clip from "The Daily Show", Noah described how there is one thing we can never get back, which is time. He explains how during COVID he missed 2 years of “...people’s lives, eating food in South Africa, and traveling with family and friends.” Noah said he wants to take time to prioritize life, experience, and quality time with people. 

Along with these personal reasons, Noah also described how he misses performing standup and would like to focus more on that, which he certainly did with his sold-out Off The Record World Tour. This tour included performances in Europe, Africa, The Middle East, and all across the U.S., including 8 consecutive sold-out shows in New York City and 10 sold-out shows in San Francisco. And worry not, while he may have left the "Daily Show" studio, he has not entirely left behind the hosting life. Since departing "The Daily Show", Noah has gone on to host the South African leg of the popular comedy competition show “LOL: Last One Laughing”. Noah wanted to be involved in this project as a nod to his past as a comic in Africa. He also hosted the 65th Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles for the third year in a row. While we are all going to miss Noah’s charisma, wit, and talent behind the desk, we are all hoping for the best for the comedian and can’t wait to see what he goes on to do.

In a similar fashion, “Carpool Karaoke” pioneer and the host of "The Late Late Show", James Corden has also stepped down from his position as host a mere 5 months after Trevor’s departure. Similar to Noah, Corden described his main reason for leaving as not wanting to miss important time with family. Corden is married and is the father of 2 sons, and described in a call to his wife how “I’ve realized, best case scenario, we have 6 more summers where [my son] even remotely wants to be around us and I cannot waste another one.” Corden also went on to describe how he knows “that the best thing for me and the best thing for us as a family is to put down some roots in London, and it feels absolutely right in every single way." Riding around blasting music with Adele is important, but family will always come first for this affable Brit.

In terms of what’s next for Corden, that is a bit up in the air. It appears from his statements that he plans to move back to London, but there is no doubt he will continue performing in some way. A possible return to the television screen may be in the cards due to his acting experience when he created and starred in the hit British TV series "Gavin and Stacey", along with his recent work on Prime Video's “Mammals”. Another option for Corden could be the stage. Before becoming the face of "The Late Late Show", Corden was a popular stage actor in London and on Broadway, starring in several musicals including Cats, Into the Woods, The Prom, and Cinderella, and even winning a Tony Award for his role in the play One Man, Two Guvnors. Perhaps Corden could follow in the footsteps of "Stranger Things" star Gaten Matarazzo, who now stars in the smash Broadway hit Sweeney Todd. While we bid Corden a goodbye from late night, we hope to see the performer again in some other medium, lighting up the stage or screen as he does best.