Job security in the talk-show landscape is not skyrocketing. With shows like Desus & Mero, Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, and most recently Ziwe meeting untimely fates, it would behoove any crew members presently employed in the production of one of these shows to hold onto their current positions for dear life. Failing that, they should take every opportunity to leverage their current positions to jump ship. And when Seth Meyers, one of the few remaining employers in the space, appeared as a guest on The Late Late Show With James Corden on April 17 — just days before the show’s final April 27 episode — this is exactly what Corden’s collection of on-air talent and behind-the-scenes crew took the opportunity to do.
“If you’re looking for a cameraman on your show, I’m available as soon as tomorrow,” camera operator Will informed Meyers. The late-night host politely declined by noting that he has his own camera crew, to which Will replied, “Okay, but what if something were to suddenly happen to one of them?” Will’s pitch was followed immediately by on-air CV submissions from Corden’s talent booker, security guard, teleprompter operator — whose résumé Corden was tricked into reading off the prompter himself — and bandleader Reggie Watts, all of whom seemed way too convinced a terrible fate is about to befall their present counterparts on Meyers’s staff. Never one to phone it in, Watts auditioned for Meyers with a new jingle he’s written for Late Night’s signature “Closer Look” segment, and it’s so catchy you can almost see Meyers considering the offer.
Ian Karmel, The Late Late Show’s head writer and on-air sidekick, did not pitch Meyers on how he could contribute to Late Night, but he did have a modest proposal for something Corden could take a “closer look” at earlier in the show. It’s the type of rude gesture he deserves for ending his show and leaving so many good, hardworking people unemployed!
