Forget replacing Craig Ferguson, James Corden just took Zayn’s spot in One Direction. But even though Corden can belt out a tune, the move was just a gag for the latest promo plugging his new CBS gig as host of “The Late Late Show.”
In on the joke, Corden’s band leader Reggie Watts adopted the persona of boyband member Niall in the 15-second spot, which aired during CBS’s Grammy broadcast on Sunday night.
Actual 1D members Harry, Liam and Louis were happy to play along for their British buddy. When Corden tried to play it too cool with Watts, the guys showed him up with some purposefully corny thumbs-up action.
“The Late Late Show With James Corden” premieres March 23 on CBS. Remember Corden’s predecessor fondly with Ferguson’s farewell show recap here.