Talk show host James Corden is ending his tenure on late-night television tonight with a primetime special just before the last episode airs. The Lion King stage musical and superstar Tom Cruise are helping the host of The Late Late Show go out in style.
CBS says it will “celebrate the incredible groundbreaking impact James Corden has made on late-night television” on Thursday, April 27 on the CBS Television Network and it will also be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount +.
CBS also reports that Tom Cruise is coming in to team up with James Corden for an “over-the-top sketch” specifically made for the primetime special. The pair aren’t taking on fighter jets or skydiving this time – Cruise and Corden will be performing with the touring cast of Disney’s The Lion King. Check out this picture of them dressed as Timon and Pumbaa!
Corden is known for popular comedy segments such as “Carpool Karaoke” and “Crosswalk the Musical.” The show has won seven Emmy awards and over a dozen more nominations. For eight years James Corden has hosted the Los Angeles, California-based television show. Now Corden and his wife, Julia have decided to return to London and raise their kids.
Corden told CBS,
More than anything, I’m just gonna miss my friends that I’ve made here at the show. I’m gonna miss the feeling of coming into this office every day and knowing that someone’s gonna make me laugh.
CBS promises an “epic musical performance,” and Disney’s The Lion King is nothing short of a phenomenon. Elegant and breathtaking animal costumes tower over the audience and the classic score by Elton John and Tim Rice soars like never before.
Fans who happened to be in the audience of The Lion King for the filming of Corden and Cruise’s highly-anticipated sketch claim that tonight’s finale of The Late Late Show  is “pretty genius.”
James Corden may adopt The Lion King’s famous theme and thank the Circle of Life (and Tom Cruise) for bringing him along on this adventure and on to the next.