James Corden recalls emotional conversation with son that influenced decision to leave ‘Late Late Show’

James Corden says an emotional conversation with his son, Max, helped him make the decision to leave "The Late Late Show."

The British-born TV personality, 44, announced last April that he would step away from his late-night program in spring 2023. He opened up about the decision Jan. 2 on "The Drew Barrymore Show."

“It’s not easy in any way to walk away from something that is so — I mean, I’ll never work in a better environment than the one I work in now. Nothing about leaving the show was to do with not enjoying it. I love it,” said Corden.

"But the truth is," he continued, "it became a very easy decision because I always knew it was an adventure and I never, ever considered it to be the final destination."

Corden said he and Max, now 11, had a discussion two summers ago that stuck in his mind. At the time, Corden, who has also appeared as an actor in multiple movies and TV shows as well as on the Broadway stage, was busy filming the Amazon Prime Video series "Mammals."

"One day, I was filming on a Sunday and I came downstairs, it was about 6 a.m., and my son, who was 10 at the time, was sat on the stairs and he said, 'Are you working today?' and I said, ‘I am,'" recalled the host.

"And he said, 'I thought — but it’s Sunday,' and I said, 'I know, buddy, but this schedule’s just so all over the place. We just got to get it done because we only have a tiny amount of time before we have to go back and do the show,' and his face just kind of dropped," he said.

Corden was so upset by Max's comment that he immediately phoned his wife, TV producer Julia Carey.

"I got in the car and I called my wife, Jules, and I said, 'I've realized, best-case scenario — best-case scenario — we have six more summers where Max is, like, even remotely wants to be around us and I cannot waste another one,'" the host told her.

Corden, who also shares daughters Carey, 8, and Charlotte, 5, with his wife, told Barrymore that he realized if he continued to work at the same pace, it could only come "at the expense of our children."

"That is really all it comes down to," he added.

Still, even though the decision was an "easy" one, Corden knows his final episode will be filled with tears. "I will be a mess on that last show. I will cry my eyes out," he said.

"But I will know in my core that the best thing for me and the best thing for us as a family is to put down some roots in London, and it feels absolutely right in every single way," he added.

When Corden confirmed to Deadline last year that he was stepping away from "The Late Late Show," he said he was "immensely proud" of his time on the CBS late-night staple.

Corden took over the show's hosting duties from comedian Craig Ferguson in 2015. He would go on to create viral and memorable segments such as "Carpool Karaoke," "Spill Your Guts," "Crosswalk Musical" and "Drop the Mic," which evolved into a reality competition show.

“I’ll miss the adrenaline of thinking, ‘Next week I’m going to jump out of a plane with Tom Cruise or in two weeks’ time we’re going to drive around the White House in a car with Michelle Obama or sing 'Penny Lane' with Paul McCartney driving down Penny Lane,” Corden told Deadline.

“All of my greatest ambitions for what it (the show) could be, it’s absolutely surpassed all of them," he added. "My intention is to try and go out in exactly the same way we came in, which is just going out with a bang."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com