James Corden Kicks Off His FOX Late-Night Return With Shaggy Charm

For all those people who moan about late-night shows being all Trump, all the time, who keep asking why nobody ever tries anything different, James Corden delivered an answer Thursday night:

A late-night show all about soccer.

The show is FIFA World Cup on FOX After Hours with James Corden, a 24-episode pop-up series airing live on FOX at midnight ET several nights a week through July 15. Corden hosts alongside former England national team captain Rio Ferdinand and comedian Ian Karmel, with the show built to complement FOX’s coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Surely that White House guy, who doesn’t enjoy any of the current lineup of network hosts and would like them all fired, if not arrested, would have nothing to complain about in the premiere of the World Cup-centric late-night miniseries that FOX and Corden, the one-time CBS host, delivered Thursday night.

OK, Trump almost surely wasn’t watching. Despite winning the FIFA Peace Prize, he likely doesn’t know much about soccer, and almost surely doesn’t care. But if he had taken a break from midnight rage-tweeting about the 2020 election, he would have seen a show that raised no political hackles, mentioned no headlines at all—except the Knicks win Wednesday night—and made every effort to be just a little inside-baseball about soccer.

And he might have been entertained, even if it wasn’t guys kicking themselves in the face on the White House lawn.

It was, instead, a light-hearted, funny-in-spots, very Corden-esque hour, surely familiar to fans of the British comic actor who occupied the 12:30 a.m. slot on CBS for eight years—the one now occupied by repeats of a game show called Funny You Should Ask.

All that was missing was some soccer-based approximation of “Carpool Karaoke.” But, no worries, Corden previewed a car ride tonight with Kylian Mbappé in which the international soccer superstar apparently plays his greatest hits on the flute.

For a first effort, the new—and temporary—Corden effort had good energy and shaggy charm, which is a fair characterization of its host, even though it must be acknowledged he is not everyone’s cup of English breakfast.

Corden has long had the kind of persona that tends to sort viewers quickly: either you’re on board with the full-throttle enthusiasm, or you’re very much not. He actually hosted a show in the U.K. about the World Cup in 2010, which initiated a lot of the performative revulsion he arouses in a segment of his home population. One review at the time suggested he had taken up the position of “most hated man in Britain,” even while acknowledging the show had found a good audience. Corden even released a number-one World Cup-oriented single in the U.K. called “Shout.”

Thursday night, the case for Corden was easy to see, as it usually was on his CBS show.

The new show is backed by some exceptional producers from his CBS run, including Ben Winston, who has since brilliantly showrun multiple Grammy telecasts, and James Longman, who defied expectations by sticking the landing on Saturday Night Live UK.

The writing staff offers a lineup with strong credentials from Corden’s Late Late Show on CBS, as well as from Saturday Night Live and After Midnight.

The show made its strongest case as a loose, live hang. It was laid-back enough that the beers consumed by the show’s roundtable during the hour looked more natural than affected, but also energetic enough that it demonstrated, for those toying with the notion of potential changes for contemporary TV, that a live late-night show has some built-in appeal.

Corden did no monologue; the show was not joke-centric. But some jokes still seeped in. As when Corden played a clip from the opening game that showed the Mexican goalkeeper caressing and kissing a soccer ball. “My wife hasn’t held me like that in 12 years,” Corden said.

He also had a line for a British player who was perhaps too aroused by a pre-game song.

There was some quasi-serious soccer talk, mainly from Ferdinand but also from Corden. The bizarre flurry of red cards in the opening match—three—was kicked around.

The best parts were Corden staples, like using his Mum and Dad for light laughs. Anyone who watched David Letterman’s affectionate exploitation of his Mom knows a lovable elder is can’t-miss.

So the idea of recreating the iconic final moment of the last men’s World Cup played in America, in 1994, by recruiting Mum to take a PK, was in that adorable category. And thank heaven she didn’t hurt herself.

Mila Kunis, who appeared on the first episode of Corden’s CBS show, turned up and had some firecracker moments. And her husband, Ashton Kutcher, had a cameo sitting at the on-set bar with Mum. That worked.

The American team had a featured pre-taped bit, which may help the once-every-four-years U.S. soccer fans identify who Christian Pulisic is. Rah-rah attention must be paid to the home team.

But credit goes to the show for alluding to the less-than-memorable overall record of the team historically. Corden wandered by a trophy case inside the headquarters of the national soccer organization, which displayed an array of cups and bowls.

He noted how impressive the assemblage was—except all of the big trophies had been won by the U.S. women’s team. He did find one men’s bowl: the Acapulco Beach Soccer Cup. A little dose of reality about the home team’s chances.

The show seems to have made it onto the air without much fanfare from FOX, which has the rights to the games. No matter. It was a good idea.

Corden knows soccer. Most importantly, he knows how to host a late-night show.

FIFA World Cup on FOX After Hours with James Corden is set to air new episodes tonight, Friday June 12, with guest Sebastian Maniscalco; Sunday June 14; and on an array of other nights through July 15. The show is broadcast on FOX live at midnight ET and on tape delay in other time zones.

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