No, One Direction won’t be reforming for ‘Late Late Show’ appearance
James Corden's last episode as host will air on April 27
By Emma Wilkes
The Late Late Show has responded to rumours that One Direction will be reuniting for a one-off performance on James Corden’s last episode as host.
Corden will be stepping down as host on April 27 after eight years on the CBS talk show. While stars such as Adele, Tom Cruise, Mila Kunis and Ben Affleck have been confirmed to appear in Corden’s final weeks at the helm of the show, One Direction fans jumped to the conclusion that the boyband could be reuniting after they noticed corresponding gaps in the schedules of the group’s five members. Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson have not performed together since 2016.
Further fuel was added to the fire when the Daily Mail reported yesterday to claim that a reunion was on the cards.
However, the show has officially confirmed that a reunion on the show is not happening. “Nobody loves the boys more than us … but this story just isn’t true,” a statement on Twitter read. “What is true is we’ve got an absolutely brilliant two-hour finale planned to celebrate eight years of #LateLateShow at 10pm on April 27th.”
Corden had previously told Entertainment Tonight that his final guest was “[a] huge pop star,” he told the outlet. “There’s some really fun things to come. Twelve shows, three Carpool Karaokes, last Crosswalk the Musical. A really big bit, with I think maybe the biggest movie star in the world.”
“It’s such an exciting feeling and terrifying and (I’m) just excited and scared at the same time,” he continued. “But I think that’s probably when the most exciting things happen. I haven’t been this scared since I decided to take the show and move to America to do it.”
Corden first announced he would be leaving The Late Late Show in April 2022. “I never saw it as my final destination, you know? And I never want this show to overstay its welcome in any way,” he said in a statement.
He added: “I always want to love making it. And I really think in a year from now that will be a good time to move on and see what else might be out there… this has been the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, it really has. I’ve never taken this job for granted.”
After his tenure on the Late Late Show finishes, Corden has said he will be moving back to the UK. It was rumoured that CBS had been considering replacing him with a multi-host panel.