With a few exceptions, late night television has been the domain of white men. Now that James Corden has announced his departure from The Late Late Show, CBS has a chance to add some new style and culture to the genre. Naturally, we have some ideas and suggestions for who should take over Corden’s chair. These are 10 Black stars who can replace James Corden as the host of The Late Late Show.
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Keegan-Michael Key
From Key and Peele to Shakespere to Schmigadoon!, Keegan-Michael Key has worked in every possible genre of entertainment. Sketch comedy, fun interviews, musical numbers. He’s already done every aspect of the job. If you’re looking for someone who’s going to make viewers want to stay up late and hang out every night, Key is definitely that guy. And if bandleader Reggie Watts sticks around, he and Keegan would be great together.
Jamie Foxx
Oscar-winners don’t normally decide to host late night talk shows. Then again, they also don’t host musical game shows, something Jamie Foxx has been doing for years. I don’t need to tell you how perfect Jamie would be as the new Late Late Show host. If you’ve seen him promoting his movies on any talk show, you know he’s made for the medium. The only drawback is that he’s still an in demand Oscar-winning actor, so his dance card is usually too full for a nightly gig like this.
Yvonne Orji
If these choices were ranked, Yvonne Orji would be the top choice. It’s long past time to shake up the broadcast late night TV status quo. The Insecure star uses her own family experiences in her comedy, making her extremely relatable, she isn’t afraid of physical comedy and has the kind of natural charisma you can’t learn or buy. I’d love to see how she incorporates her Nigerian roots into late night.
Wayne Brady
If you’re CBS, the safest choice in Hollywood has to be Wayne Brady. Someone the audience already knows and likes, appeals to all demographics, can hit the ground running without any growing pains and most of all, is already in the network family so they don’t have to steal him away from someone else. If you made a late night talk show host in a lab, it would be Wayne Brady.
Leslie Jones
Someone who would bring a completely new energy to the show and really provide a change from James Corden is Leslie Jones. She has a fearless comedic style that makes you want to follow her off whatever hilarious cliff she’s driving the audience over. And we have a feeling she and Reggie would be magic together.
Yvette Nicole Brown
All you need to do is follow Yvette Nicole Brown on Twitter and you will understand why she’s absolutely perfect for late night TV. She can seamlessly take viewers from sketch comedy to musical number to political commentary. She regularly appears on The Walking Dead aftershow Talking Dead, so at this point interviewing celebrities is old hat. Her positivity would be a nice way to end the day.
Anthony Anderson
A few months back Anthony Anderson filled in for Jimmy Kimmel. His pitch perfect transition to talk show host had some of us thinking he would be offered a job on the spot. We know he’s back in New York filming Law & Order, but surely he can still find time to interview celebrities and play silly games when he’s not catching bad guys.
Regina Hall
Listen, before all hell broke loose Regina Hall was stealing the show at The Oscars. Whenever she hosts an awards show we know it’s going to be good because she doesn’t leave anything unsaid. She’s the kind of host you’d have to tune into every night so you can see what kind of nonsense she’s going to stir up. She makes others funnier, which is crucial when dealing with different guests in each segment.
Arsenio Hall
Arsenio Hall is the bridge between the old school Johnny Carson style and the more modern Fallon/Colbert shows. To see him return to late night in this new age of viral videos and digital exclusives would be awesome. A Late Late Show combining classic Arsenio with new characters and sketches is just what TV needs right now.
Chance the Rapper
This may seem like an outside the box choice, but Chance the Rapper is actually pretty funny. In fact, he’s already auditioned for the job, filling in for James a few years ago. What he lacks in comedy and hosting experience, he makes up for in enthusiasm. And if the show is able to keep “Carpool Karaoke” as a normal bit, he will put his own amazing spin on it.
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