James Cordon (Featureflash / Shutterstock.com)
The Tony Awards announced today that James Corden of CBS’s “The Late Late Show” will host the 70th Annual Tony Awards live from the Beacon Theatre in New York City, Sunday, June 12 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. This will be Corden’s first time hosting the Tonys. He won a Tony Award in 2012 for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for his performance in “One Man, Two Guvnors.” The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be hosting the Tony awards. Both times I’ve worked on Broadway have been amongst the happiest times of my professional life. I consider it a huge honor to be asked to host such an incredible night. It’s gonna be fun, I can’t wait to dust off my tap shoes!” said Corden.
“James is one of those rare performers whose gifts translate perfectly to both the Broadway stage and the television screen, making him the ideal choice to host the Tony Awards. The last time he was at the Tonys, he went home with one. We think he’ll have even more fun as host. This is going to be one unforgettable show,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League, and Heather Hitchens, President of the American Theatre Wing.
“Carpooling on Broadway will never be the same!” said Executive Producers Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner.
“We are thrilled to have James Corden not only as a member of the CBS family, but as host of this year’s Tony Awards,” said Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music and Live Events, CBS Entertainment. “James is the ultimate performer – actor, singer and comedian – he’s the perfect choice to host our live television event.”
James Corden is a multi-faceted performer, host, writer and producer with accomplishments that span television, theater, film and comedy. He took the reins of THE LATE LATE SHOW on March 23, 2015, and has quickly become known for generating buzzworthy viral videos, such as Carpool Karaoke, garnering over 500 million views and 2.8 million subscribers for the show’s YouTube channel. Since Corden took the helm, THE LATE LATE SHOW has consistently been the most social talk show in its time period according to Nielson Social.
Corden came to American late night television with a growing list of award-winning and critically acclaimed credits. He is a Tony Award-winning performer on Broadway, a BAFTA-winning star of a UK television series, a feature film actor, and an acclaimed host, writer and producer in several genres of television. Corden hosts the BAFTA Award-winning UK sports-themed comedy game show “A League of Their Own” on Sky 1 and starred in, produced and wrote the BAFTA nominated comedy thriller “The Wrong Mans,” which is available on Hulu and airs on the BBC. Also, he appeared in the BBC television movie “Esio Trot,” alongside Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench.
Outside of his native England, Corden attracted international attention as the lead in the hit comedic play “One Man, Two Guvnors,” performing first in the National Theatre and the West End in London and then on Broadway, which earned him the 2012 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play. His additional theater credits include the worldwide tour of “The History Boys” in the role of Timms, which he also played in the feature film adaptation.
On television, Corden starred as Smithy in the critically acclaimed BBC comedy series “Gavin and Stacey,” which he co-created and co-wrote. Prior to that, Corden starred in the British television series “Fat Friends” from 2000 to 2005. In 2011, Corden had a recurring role in the popular BBC science fiction series “Doctor Who” as Craig Owens, the Doctor’s roommate. In addition, Corden hosted the Brit Awards, the biggest event in the British music industry, from 2010 to 2014. Corden starred opposite Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp and Emily Blunt in the Golden Globe Award nominated feature film “Into the Woods.” His additional film credits include “Begin Again,” with Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo; “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People,” with Jeff Bridges; “Gulliver’s Travels,” with Jack Black; and “The Three Musketeers,” with Orlando Bloom.
Opening of the 2013 Tony Awards.
Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment will return as executive producers of the Tony Awards. Weiss will also serve as director for the 17th consecutive year.
The American Theatre Wing’s 70th Annual Tony Awards will air on the CBS Television Network on Sunday, June 12, 2016 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/delayed PT) live from the Beacon Theatre in New York City. The Tony Awards, which honors theatre professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway, has been broadcast on CBS since 1978. The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.
The official eligibility cut-off date will be Thursday, April 28, 2016, for all Broadway productions opening in the 2015-2016 season. Productions which meet all other eligibility requirements and open on or before the eligibility date are considered eligible for 2016 Tony Award nominations.
The Nominations for the 2016 Tony Awards will be announced live on Tuesday, May 3, 2016, from that Paramount Hotel in New York City.
For more information on the Tony Awards, visit www.TonyAwards.com and Facebook.com/TheTonyAwards and follow @TheTonyAwards on Instagram and Twitter.
