When James Corden is Exposed As a Monster - YouTube
Transcripts:
James Cordon's career is in tatters and it's all thanks to one person, James Cordon. And this was the moment it all came crashing down. According to an Instagram post from a restaurant owner, James had gotten incredibly nasty at a New York restaurant berating the staff. Any other celebrity might have gotten away with it, but after decades of scandals, controversies, and nastiness, it was the last straw for James Cordon.
I think I was booked to be on within the next couple weeks. He canled you. Cancelled me. I tried to call him. Yeah. And he never he's probably the ever somebody wrote on his show and they're like, "Oh, he seems so nice." And he was like, "He's like Ellen." For years, James Cordon's behavior was an open secret in show business.
From celebrities to service stuff to random members of the public. Everyone had their own story. In front of the camera, audiences were enraptured by his downto-earth, personable charisma. But the price he'd paid to reach the very top of Hollywood came at a cost that would destroy him from the inside. You see, unlike lots of other Hollywood celebrities, James Cordon didn't come from money or great fame.
He was born in England to a family of modest means. And in pretty much every way you can imagine, his early life was just incredibly average. The only difference was James himself. His autobiography goes into great detail about how he was a born performer. When he was just 3 years old, he was attending his babysitter's christening.
And in the middle of the ceremony, James stood up on his chair and started making funny faces to the people sitting behind him. He says it was his earliest memory and that it laid the foundation for his love of performance, that feeling of being noticed and at the center of attention. It also wasn't the last time James would try to steal the spotlight, though, as we'll soon see, as James had always wanted fame.
According to this early interview, he was as lazy as possible in school. All he wanted to be was an actor or musician, and he never studied. But even when he landed his first part in a musical at 17, he was bored after a month. relegated to just being a background singer. He felt underutilized despite barely having any experience whatsoever.
Quote, "The monotony of it and the fact that I was just stood at the back. I was 17. You've got to have ridiculous ego to be 17 on your first job thinking, what's this? Why am I just stood at the back?" In my head, I thought I'd walk in and they'd go, "Wow, we should give him a song." And so for years, James repressed his feelings of being unseen.
He would just take any role he could get, no matter how much it hurt his ego. At first, it was just scraps. tiny oneline roles on forgotten daytime TV shows and lost commercials. He still struggled with working hard, though. Directors told him he was too lazy and that he lacked focus. At this point, he wasn't much more than a warm body, someone to fill a role that anyone could have done.
On soap operas, directors just used him as the replaceable fat character, making jokes about how he smells. Fat, lazy, and disrespected by everyone around him, fueled with the business to take over the industry. No one around him respected him. All while he was lazy but incredibly ambitious which led to a completely toxic mix of both wanting vengeance and fame.
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And if you use my link in the description or pin comment below, you'll get 15% off of your first subscription. So, start your journey with Hypnosio today. And if he couldn't work his way to the top, he would then take it on with his own hands, making his own show instead. And from there, he could actually live up to his ego. It would be through his own shows like Fat Friends and eventually Gavin and Stacy that gave Cordon the space to perfect his act.
He was larger than life in all senses of the word. On screen, he was the nice guy who let his emotions get away from him. But he also embodied the cheeky, cheery, and witty character that was everywhere at the time. He was more approachable and down to earth than other sitcom characters, and it made him much more palatable to a wider audience.
Meanwhile, James Cordon was quietly building his career in other ways. He got parts in the West End to act on stage finally, while also making key connections within the industry. When Gavin and Stacy finally took off and became incredibly popular, James Cordon was front and center of UK audiences. He was both one of the writers, the creator, and the main actor.
One of the later episodes even became the most watched scripted TV program of the entire 2010s, pulling in over 10 million viewers. But even as James Cordon shot up to the top of British show business, the warning signs were beginning to appear. That bitterness and anger hadn't gone away. He had gotten everything he wanted and now he was finally making his way up to the top.
But the feeling of rejection and anger from the early years was still there. And this level of fame and recognition wasn't going to be enough. as James saw this only as the first stage of his larger plan to become famous. Now, everyone knows that fame changes people, but we still don't know much about the specifics of how people react to fame.
The closest thing we have comes from a study which analyzed interviews with famous people from across the spectrum. While everyone's journey was different, they found that people generally reacted to massive fame in four distinct phases. At this point in his career, Cordon was squarely on the first stage, acclamation. When you go from a normal life to massive fame very quickly like Cordon did, you get hit with the shock of it all at once.
The difference is night and day. You go from being unnoticed to having everyone's attention on you at all times. Finally, you're not lonely and angry anymore. Different people have different reactions, but the study explains that generally it's a lovehate relationship. As you can imagine, you can easily get drunk in this, thinking that because so much has changed that you're really just a completely different person now.
You can even start to believe that the rules don't apply to you anymore. We've seen this all the time, whether it be Steve Jobs refusing to have a license plate and parking disabled base or people like Ellen completely abusing all the people that make her show to begin with. And there was one famous moment from early on in James' career that shows us this in perfect detail.
In 2008, Cordon appeared on the pop singer Lily Allen's talk show. He was clearly falling for her, and later interviews would reveal that he'd been crushing on her for a long time. At the time, people thought the exchange was just flirty banter. But years later, Lily Allen revealed that she wasn't interested at all, writing in a tweet that he came on to me in front of a studio audience.
If I had have shut him down, I would have been labeled cold or up myself as snobbish. James also said that he thought they were dating. They hung out a few times after the interview, but it never led anywhere. Realizing that Lily Allen didn't feel the same way brought back all those childhood feelings, all those insecurities about being a fat, lazy loser, something that the fame was trying to mask in the first place.
And it wasn't the only time that Cordon's overly confident and loud persona got him in trouble that year. At the 2008 BAFTA awards, for example, Cordon reportedly used his acceptance speech to question why the judges hadn't given him a different award instead. And then at a different awards ceremony, he made overly sexual jokes about Kiara Nightly.
People laughed it off at the time, but today it does look a little different. But how he reacted to fame may have well created division between him and his castmates on Gavin and Stacy as well. In fact, behind the scenes, their relationship was on a razor's edge. While today they're still at least happy to work together, Cordon fell out with lots of them after the show ended in 2010.
His co-star on the show, Matthew Horn, stopped working with Gordon shortly afterwards. The pair had both been trying to follow their success with Gavin and Stacy for years. But all the other sketch shows and pilots they tried out fell relatively flat. Now, we don't really know what happened between them personally, as they both keep that very guarded, but it's clear a rift developed at this point.
In a later interview, Cordon seemed to regret what had actually happened while being careful not to apologize or actually own up to anything at all. In this chat with Pierce Morgan, Cordon talked vaguely about why they weren't working together. He was clearly emotional when Pierers revealed that Matthew Horn had been asked to come on as well, but had actually refused.
And we asked him to take part in this program, right? And he chose not to. I didn't know that. He said he could understand why though, and Matthew Horn would later call them hectic times. It was clear something had happened, and James was feeling guilty about it. Rob Ryden, one of Gordon's Gavin and Stacy co-stars, had to give him an intervention after he went off the deep end with his partying and his new persona.
In a later interview, he described him as becoming spoiled and brattish, saying that he suddenly enjoying the fruits of his success, and he just lost his way for a bit. He was burning the candle at both ends and becoming ratty and irritable. It was clear that Cordon was overdosing on fame, money, and attention. All the things he never had growing up.
And as he got more and more used to fame, he began to enter the second stage of dealing with it. True addiction. Having a massive ego already made Cordon much more susceptible to the problems with fame. One issue is that your self-belief gets fueled by your own success. And this changes the world around you. In one way, it alienates you from all of your old friends.
They know the real you, the person that you were before you were famous. So, as you change over time, they can lose touch with you and eventually things can spiral out of control. And it's very likely this is what happened to Gordon and his old Gavin and Stacy castmates. Meanwhile, becoming famous brings you all sorts of new friends.
They're often sick of fans, only looking to elevate their own position or squeeze some money out of you while flattering you as much as possible. Fame traps you between these two worlds and it turns you into two separate people, your old authentic self and your new famous persona. Cordon said that he'd listened to Rob Bryden and changed his ways.
But the evidence suggests otherwise. To fuel the addiction, you leave your old, boring self behind. And as time went on, Cordon would soon become the person that he used to pretend to be. Perhaps one of the worst moments of Cordon's career came at another award ceremony in 2010. This time, the Glamour Woman of the Year award.
A nightmare to celebrate the work of women within the industry came apart as Cordon clashed with an intoxicated Patrick Stewart. Neither of them come off well here, but James in particular looked terrible, especially considering what we know now. Sir Patrick Stewart made some jokes at his expense, and any rational person could have just laughed them off and continue the show.
If you fancy the Jonas Brothers, cover your belly. Get over here. It all would have been fine, and people would have forgotten the next day. But at this point, it's likely that James was deeply addicted to being the center of attention at all times. Once you've gotten over the shock and you get a bit more used to the spotlight, fame becomes all the more intoxicating to some people.
As the study says, one may enter a cycle of addiction. Happiness becomes synonymous with celebrity, and one incessantly strives to remain the center of adoring attention. Cordon here couldn't stand being taken out of the spotlight and being made fun of, even though it was just for a second. It seemed to trigger the old insecurities from childhood as he then blows the whole thing up and escalates the situation, trying to make sure his reputation and fame is completely untouched.
So instead of laughing it off, he immediately gets in Sir Patrick Stewart's face, trying to intimidate him. 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. Oh, you couldn't be more wrong, sir. You couldn't be more wrong. The pair traded jabs with James getting the last line.
You can see my belly and we can all see you dying right now. Let's go for it. Here we go. And it's all hilariously juvenile and Cordon could have easily been the bigger man. At the time, people saw it out of the ordinary, but today it fits the picture a whole lot better. James had burned lots of bridges in the UK during this early part of his career.
Meanwhile, he was addicted to fame, fortune, and attention. This gave him a big problem. Where could he go next? He had the love of audiences and he was a massive household name, but he also had lots of problems within the UK's TV and film industry. That was where he made his next big move.
Throughout the early 2010s, James still got lots of parts in films, and he got lots of gigs hosting awards ceremonies as well. His on-screen persona was one of the most digestible and palatable for that kind of job. Most of the time, he made a few innocent jokes and just kept things moving. It wasn't enough, though, and to keep his fame intact, he had to get involved with something new that would keep him relevant.
That was when he turned to America. In the UK, he was now just old news. Most Brits had soued on him and lots of the entertainment industry was sick of his antics. In the US, though, he was still fresh and exciting. They ate up his persona even more than British audiences. To them, he epitomized a growing idea of what normal British people were like.
Instead of the usually dry, cutting British humor that most Americans were used to, he put across a much more approachable, less intimidating vibe. It was helped along with his relationship with One Direction. Early on, he had clearly noticed that they were going to be the center of attention, and being anywhere near their orbit would also elevate him.
So, he became friends with them, and on screen, he was like their fun uncle. When his bear paid off and their fame exploded, it then gave him an introduction to so many young people in America as this older, personable, funny guy, and it made his transition to Hollywood that much easier. Eventually, the stars aligned and his plan worked.
He secured his next massive gig, taking over from Craig Ferguson on the Late Late Show, one of the top late night comedy shows on US TV. At first, it looked like everything was going great. Cordon inherited a massive, passionate audience from his predecessor. They had loved his quick wit and his charm and the way he pushed the genre forward.
Cordon was a big success as well, but for different reasons. He didn't have Craig's lightning quick banter. Instead, he used that down to earth persona he had been crafting for years to create easy conversations. Even if he wasn't all that funny, he was perfect for making the show easy to watch. He also changed the format of the show to suit his style, bringing on lots of guests at a time rather than just one and focusing the show on partly scripted games and segments instead of improvising a conversation with them. For Cordon, it
looked like graduating to the big leagues. In the US, he would gain even more fame and stardom than he ever could dream of in the UK. Hollywood was the place for people like him, obsessed with their own importance and their own career, doing whatever it takes to get famous. And this meant that James Cordon was now entering the third stage of fame, acceptance.
As Cordon got more and more used to his fame, he got complacent with it and he started to expect special treatment. Anyone put in this position would feel these same effects. But for James Cordon, it was even worse. He had always wanted to be successful and now he really was one of the most famous people in Hollywood.
The fake friends, the adverts with his face on, the suck-ups, the yesmen were everywhere. all feeding back into his ego every single day, all day, and it was like a runaway train. Despite being an outsider, Cordon immediately fit into the culture. He was both willing to do whatever the producers wanted while also making sure that he always had his eye on climbing the ladder, just like he mentions in this clip. But that's ego.
I think that's ego. That's what you're talking about is ego. I lived for 8 and 1/2 years what could only be described as a narcissist's dream. Do you know what I mean? Like and like and I I I cannot stress how much I think being the host of a late night TV show is one of the greatest jobs in the world.
I think it's amazing. I think it is brilliant. Like my god, how lucky am I to have done that? I think it's amazing. You know, but if you were another way inclined, you you know, drive into a studio lot, you drive past a massive picture of your face. That's that's the first thing you see when you get to work is a huge picture of your face and your name.
You then park in an amazing parking spot with your name on it. Today he's well aware of it because he's been out of the game for years now. But at the time he was completely sucked in. While he was rubbing shoulders with former presidents one minute while getting the superstar treatment from all of his staff the next, it all became normal.
Often celebrities will know deep down how hollow this all is. They begin to regret the impact it's had on their family and their friends and they miss their old authentic selves. But when they've been in it for decades like James Cordon, they can almost lose sight of that entirely. Carpool karaoke was the big draw of his show.
It was perfectly designed to put the guest and the audience at ease without any pressure at all. Cordon was still in the driving seat, both literally and figuratively. But it let the celebrities be themselves more than a studio interview with canned questions did. Even with the segment finding massive success, though, it still led to some problems.
Sometimes Gordon would insist the celebrities only sing their most popular songs or switch songs out at the last minute to put them on the spot. The Friends reunion carpool karaoke episode was particularly harrowing. James Cordon inserted himself into the thing front and center. While it was clear most of the cast members of the show didn't want to be there at all, the only song they managed to get them to sing was the theme song while they just drove around in a circle.
Another segment Gordon pioneered was Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts, a game where the guests either had to answer an embarrassing question or they had to eat something gross. Most of the time it went smoothly, but when Jimmy Kimmel came on the show, it exposed Cordon for what he had become. Most of the time, Kimmel was just another late night host putting on a show.
Next to James Cordon, though, he of all people was more authentic. Their segment was a strange one. Kimmel seemed determined to show up James, swallowing whatever gross food was put in front of him. James, meanwhile, weasled out of the questions and never touched any of the food. That was until the very end when Kimmel finally asked James the killer questions.
Can you name two of your cameramen? James was immediately exposed. He actually had no clue and he had to admit this on his own show. It's a different crew tonight. Actually, watching him eat his embarrassment as well as some fish smoothie is one of the most satisfying things you ever see. For years, Cordon's career dribbled along in Hollywood.
Whether he was making obscene jokes about Harvey Weinstein or humping the air in an animal suit, he was generally present on the airwaves. Meanwhile, he continued to build up a bad reputation behind the scenes. It wasn't just the UK industry that hated him. Now, those in the US were figuring out who he really was. In 2022, the penny finally dropped.
The first strike was the restaurant scandal we mentioned at the beginning. Everyone knew he was nasty. For years, online threads had been filled with personal anecdotes of Gordon being rude or entitled. For lots of people, it was long overdue proof of the fact. Then it was revealed that he had stolen jokes from both Ricky Jes and from Noel Fielding a few years before.
Lots of people pounced on the opportunity to take him down a notch. Celebrities and former friends came out of the woodwork talking on podcasts about how they always had problems with him. Directors and producers described his bad behavior as well, no longer in fear of breaking the open secret. One even called him the most difficult and obnoxious presenter he had ever worked with.
At this point, it's likely that James was in the final stage of dealing with fame, adaption. After so many years at the top, and now with all crumbling around him, Gordon finally took his foot off the gas. It was a long time coming, but James was suddenly reminded of what actually mattered in his life, his family.
Whether he's being honest about getting away from it all is another matter. Right now, James seems set on making a comeback, although it's unlikely he's aiming to do anything other than acting or writing. What I'd really love to do is try and write one more thing. Yeah, I'd love to try and write one more thing.
I'd love to write again with Ruth Jones, who I wrote Gavin and Stacy with. But for now, it seems like he's completely irrelevant. Nobody cares about him at all anymore. His views are trash, and it's hard to see people ever wanting him back. All the bridges are burnt in both the UK and the US, and now he's just doing a public apology tour on podcasts.
His reputation is now so tattered and damaged, how could he ever win audiences back? Ultimately, it's clear that the very things that made him famous in the first place were the things that would destroy him forever. And all the sacrifices he took would end up devastating everything he loved. And remember to check out Hypnosio today by using the link in the description below.
