James Corden s Big Secret Exposed: KATIE HIND
When James Corden launched his talk show in the US nine years ago, his first guest was top of the A-listers Tom Hanks.
The Buckinghamshire-born star had landed in Hollywood just four weeks before The Late Late Show debuted Stateside. At a champagne-flowing soiree to celebrate the first episode I asked him: Had his production team and their many Tinseltown contacts helped him bag the Forrest Gump star as an impressive first interviewee?
Seemingly not. ‘I just rang him,' confessed the blase Corden, without looking up from his phone. ‘I asked him and he said yes,' he shrugged.
James Corden launched his talk show in the US nine years ago, his first guest was top of the A-listers Tom Hanks and a few episodes later it was David Beckham
A few episodes later it was David Beckham, followed by Friends star Matthew Perry.
He then invented a new segment, the now globally famous Carpool Karaoke, in which guests join Corden in a car and sing along to their favourite songs. Michelle Obama and Sir Paul McCartney both took part.
Corden's rivals, including chat show hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, watched on with envy, wondering how on earth the British newbie had secured access to all of Hollywood's brightest stars.
The answer is that Corden, who grew up in a modest semi in High Wycombe with parents Malcolm and Margaret, is one of the most impressive - and shameless - networkers in the showbusiness world.
The only star who can rival him, I'm told, is Harry Styles who is - of course - Corden's chum.
How he has managed to build up such a bulging black book of phone numbers has long remained a secret. And many are not merely aquaintences. Some of Corden's most famous contacts - among them David Beckham, Adele, Tom Cruise, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - consider him a friend. Charming, funny and seemingly caring, the Gavin and Stacey star is the party guest everyone wants to talk to.
That is, apart from singer Lily Allen, who made a staggering swipe at Corden this week by describing him a ‘beg friend', in other words a person who ‘begs' for your attention in the hope of forming a friendship.
The only star who can rival Corden, I'm told, is Harry Styles who is - of course - his chum
In this respect, it appears that it might be a little more than just friendship that he has in common with his chum the Duchess of Sussex.
One of Corden's former colleagues told the Mail: ‘It's like a ladder James is climbing, he goes up and each time he does it's to befriend someone more famous. As he does so, those less famous fall away, chung chi (lambangcapgiarenhat.com) it's all very "Meghan".
‘Someone is the flavour of the month and they get love-bombed, get invited here, there and everywhere, and then when he meets someone else, they are no longer of interest. He's like a limpet.'
Indeed, Allen says at the time they met in 2008, when Corden appeared on her BBC chat show Lily Allen and Friends, she was significantly more famous than him. Back then, she was tabloid gold, just like Corden wanted to be.
On her podcast Miss Me? she said he was ‘very flirtatious' with her, before adding: ‘We sort of made friends and I introduced him to a group of my friends.'
Lily, 39, is not alone in questioning Corden's motives.
One of Corden's former colleagues told the Mail: ‘It's like a ladder James is climbing, he goes up and each time he does it's to befriend someone more famous. As he does so, those less famous fall away, it's all very "Meghan"
He has been through a number of friends since he began his career 26 years ago, playing school caretaker Wayne Clark on Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks.
Then still a teenager, he couldn't believe his luck and he quickly began to make friends on the set in Chester.
First he befriended Jeremy Edwards, then star of the show who played heart-throb Kurt Benson. Edwards told me some years back that Corden was ‘super keen' to be his friend when he first arrived.
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The pair would socialise together in nearby Liverpool and enjoyed the benefits that came with being young soap stars - the parties and the women.
However, the friendship was short lived. Edwards told me how he made the mistake of introducing Corden to his rather more famous friend, Dermot O'Leary. Corden immediately ditched his Hollyoaks co-star for the former X Factor host.
Edwards, still angry about being sidelined by Corden, is no longer one of Corden's ‘besties'.
Then there's Matthew Horne, Corden's co-star in Gavin and Stacey. The pair met in 2006 and a year later the iconic BBC3 comedy launched.
Like the show's two characters Gavin and Smithy, they were inseparable.
Their fall out came following a string of projects together, including the Horne & Corden show in 2009 and the film Lesbian Vampire Killers that same year, which received derisory reviews.
They also co-hosted the Brit Awards in 2009 but their presenting was so poor that they later revealed they couldn't bear to watch recordings of the show.
Not that Corden will be losing sleep over his friendship breakups.
Having long been a charmer of journalists, the actor and chat-show host has now ingratiated himself with the Murdoch empire after forming a close friendship with Rupert's eldest son (and heir) Lachlan, chairman of News Corp, executive chairman and CEO of Fox Corporation. Sources close to the pair say that it is a relationship which not only means that Corden gets to hob-nob with some of the most influential businessmen and women in the world, but one that also ensures that almost every mention in Murdoch-owned Press and TV is positive.
‘James is very proud of his friendship with Lachlan,' said one source. ‘And he is very happy to boast about it.'
Then there are his football friends. As a life-long West Ham fan, Corden is delighted to have the team's stars on speed dial - none more so than England midfielder Declan Rice. ‘James loves a night out with Declan,' says a friend of Corden's. ‘He loves football and wants to hang out with the players.'
Matthew Horne, Corden's co-star in Gavin and Stacey, met him in 2006 and a year later the iconic BBC3 comedy launched
Corden also made a beeline for Bobby Zamora during the footballer's stint with West Ham and invited him to his Late Late Show when it was filmed in London in 2017.
Zamora was thrilled with his invite, telling me on the night what a ‘ledge' [legend] Corden was.
Some wouldn't agree with him.
Last year Corden was sensationally barred from Balthazar restaurant in New York last after its owner, Keith McNally, claimed the TV host had been ‘extremely nasty' to staff on two separate occasions.
Despite initially dismissing the drama as ‘silly', Corden later apologised.
‘I made a rude comment, and it was wrong,' Corden said. ‘It was an unnecessary comment. It was ungracious to the server.'
But it was the first time that Corden's ‘Mr Nice Guy' image had been tarnished publicly.
Behind the scenes, however, in some quarters his reputation seems to have been one of contrivance. Lily Allen is not the only one who Corden has failed to charm.
Tom HanksJames Corden