James Corden reveals how Tom Cruise persuaded him to join him in a fighter jet for a The Late Late Show sketch

The Late Late Show with James Corden is one of the most popular talk shows to air on US television. However, Corden announced in April 2023 that he would be exiting the show, leaving many fans in dismay.

Corden made the announcement in a daytime show with Drew Barrymore, where he said that he would be leaving as host and that his final show would come in the Spring of 2024.

The British actor and presenter recently gave his first professional interview since his return to the UK after eight years as the show's host in the US.

Appearing for an interview at the Royal Television Society (RTS) Cambridge Conference, he reflected on his "extraordinary" stint hosting the US talk show and shared how Tom Cruise convinced him to fly in a fighter plane for a segment on The Late Late Show.

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"He’s an actor, he’s NOT a pilot" - James Corden on Tom Cruise persuading him to join him in a fighter jet for The Late Late Show

Corden and Cruise engaged appearing in a segment for The Late Late Show (image via CBS)

In the course of filming the show, James Corden took part in a number of daring exploits, such as skydiving with actor Tom Cruise. He was also flown upside down by the actor in a fighter jet before to the release of Cruise's popular film Top Gun: Maverick.

Speaking at the RTS conference, Corden stated that the production was halted for two days on the set so that they could film the sketch, but just days before he was supposed to fly with Cruise, he changed his mind.

James Corden exclaimed the following about his experience:

“I just ended up going like ‘Look he’s an actor, he’s not a pilot, respectfully. It’s just the two of us in an aeroplane, if something happens, then we die,”

Corden further added:

"And worse than that, worse than my own death, is my children growing up in places and people going ‘You know who they are? Their dad killed Tom Cruise".

However, Corden was also happy to admit that before filming the segment, Tom Cruise came to him and helped him calm down with the following words:

"James, your life is more valuable than mine… you are never in any danger. I would never do this if I wasn’t flying every day. I am flying every single day… You don’t have to worry. You have to just trust me. I’m so ready and I wouldn’t do this going in cold."

Corden reflected back on this exhilarating experience with Cruise on his show as he reminisced about his time as host. He revealed that he would miss the program but it was always his and his wife's plan to shift back to the UK before their children entered their teenage years.

Corden had the following to say about his time on The Late Late Show:

“It is a source of overwhelming feeling and just thinking, I genuinely don’t know what I’ve done to deserve such memories, to deserve such things, and it’s really hard to walk away from, it’s a very difficult thing to leave but I felt compelled to come home.”

James Corden told the RTS audience that he would not be engaging in any new project as of now.