James Corden set to become UK’s best paid TV star after US TV chiefs offer him £15million deal
BRITISH TV superstar James Corden is set to be offered a bumper new deal by US TV chiefs, which would make him the UK’s best paid telly personality.
The A-lister’s current deal with American network CBS expires next year, after six years as the face of The Late Late Show – with industry sources Stateside saying executives are desperate to keep him as the host of the high profile show.
A potential new agreement could be as much as £15million over two years – which at £7.5million annually would outstrip Ant and Dec who currently earn £6.6million each per year for their work on ITV.
James, whose Carpool Karaoke segment in which he takes car journeys with celebrities and performs songs has also spawned a globally successful viral spin-off, has won a raft of awards for his American show – including 10 Emmys and the scored three most-watched clips in the history of talk shows.
His Friends reunion special also proved an international hit.
An LA TV insider said: “CBS has no plan B, James is their guy and who they see staying with them.
“He is one of the faces of the network, he fronts a massively successful show and drives lots of traffic to them online. The figures that are being discussed are around £15m for two years.
“That may sound a lot, but James brings so much to the table for CBS. Unlike his rivals, his online segments, including Carpool Karaoke and Crosswalk Musical, are huge global web hits, making huge revenues on top.”
Corden’s last deal was a little over £5m annually, which was a rise from his debut run which came on at around £3m a year back when he started in 2014.
CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl confirmed to trade bible Deadline: “We love James and he is and has been doing a terrific job. We don’t comment on the status of negotiations.”
