Craig Ferguson Says He’s Glad He Left ‘The Late Late Show’ Before Donald Trump’s Presidency

Craig Ferguson, who hosted CBS’s “The Late Late Show” from 2005 until his final episode in December 2014, departed the program before Donald Trump’s election as president in 2016. Ferguson’s exit cleared the way for James Corden to assume the hosting duties. In a recent interview on “Obsessed: The Podcast,” Ferguson expressed relief at having left the late-night arena prior to Trump’s rise.

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Since the start of his second term, Donald Trump has conducted an extensive campaign against late-night television, using his Truth Social platform to call for the removal of hosts such as Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel. Those hosts have turned their programs into frequent venues for criticism of Trump and his administration. Ferguson noted that his own show never adopted that political stance.

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• December 2014 – Craig Ferguson’s final episode of “The Late Late Show.”

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• 2015 – CBS announced James Corden as Ferguson’s successor.

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• 2016 – Donald Trump elected president.

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• Second term (date unspecified) – Trump initiates a campaign targeting late-night hosts.

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• Craig Ferguson – former host of “The Late Late Show.”

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• CBS – the network that aired the program.

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• James Corden – successor to Ferguson.

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• Donald Trump – president who launched a campaign against late-night television.

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• Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel – late-night hosts who have become vocal critics of Trump.

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Ferguson said he was uncertain how he would have navigated a late-night program during Trump’s presidency, calling scenario “impossible to say.” He noted that CBS’s financial incentive kept him on longer than planned, but he ultimately felt the timing was right to depart. He stressed that his show never aimed to become a political “soapbox” and that he did not see himself as part of late-night community that later confronted Trump’s policies.

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• “I don’t know how I would have handled it. I’m glad I didn’t have to, to be honest,” — Craig Ferguson, former host of “The Late Late Show.”

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• “I like to think I would somehow have managed to navigate through it, but I’m not sure I would have.” — Craig Ferguson

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• “Comedy, like everything else in life, really is about timing,” — Craig Ferguson

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Ferguson’s remarks highlight the role of timing in media careers, especially as political climates change. His decision to leave before a president who actively targets late-night hosts underscores how personal career choices can intersect with broader media-political dynamics. The contrast between Ferguson’s non-political approach and the later politicization of shows hosted by Colbert and Kimmel illustrates divergent strategies within the same genre.

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The sources do not provide independent assessments of how Ferguson’s show would have covered Trump’s presidency, nor do they include statements from CBS or other late-night hosts regarding Ferguson’s perspective. Consequently, the article cannot verify Ferguson’s speculation about his potential handling of a Trump-era program.

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