James Corden got a handwritten welcome to late-night — or “talk show hell” — from former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno on Monday.
Craig Ferguson’s replacement posted the short but sweet (and ominous) note from Leno on Twitter. Corden’s accompanying words were: “This card from Jay Leno this morning!! What a guy! Late Late show starts tonight!!! CBS 12.30!”
Leno’s dark warning was: “Welcome to talk show Hell! Have Fun!”
The man who dominated late-night ratings for so many years even included a rudimentary caricature of himself smirking to drive home the good-natured point.
Corden’s version of the CBS “Late Late Show” premieres at 12.30 a.m. on CBS, following David Letterman’s “Late Show.”
At his debut taping earlier in the day, lead guest Tom Hanks forced marital news out of fellow couch-sitter Mila Kunis, who recently secretly wed longterm boyfriend Ashton Kutcher. Watch the reveal here.
The English actor and comedian will have Patricia Arquette, Chris Pine and Modest Mouse on his second show.
Here’s the tweet of Leno’s letter, along with a photo of the card:
This card from Jay Leno this morning!! What a guy! Late Late show starts tonight!!! CBS 12.30! pic.twitter.com/MNoimHqJCf
— Jkcorden (@JKCorden) March 23, 2015
Later, the newest late night host found out some exciting news about his new studio:
Totally didn’t realise we shared a hallway and copier with The Young and The Restless!!! pic.twitter.com/7Ac1pVNoEK
— Jkcorden (@JKCorden) March 23, 2015