James Corden denies ‘crazy’ rumour he will replace Ellen DeGeneres on her US talk show

Reports in August claimed British star was viewed as a ‘long term successor’ to the beleaguered DeGeneres

James Corden has denied rumours that he has been lined up to replace Ellen DeGeneres on her US talk show.

In August, reports emerged that Corden was seen as a “long term successor” for DeGeneres, who this summer became embroiled in allegations about “mean” behaviour off-camera.

Stories also suggested that DeGeneres may depart her eponymous talk show in the wake of an investigation into allegations of a toxic work environment behind the scenes. DeGeneres herself was not implicated in any of the allegations.

On his own late-night US talk show, Corden has now confirmed that there was never any truth to the rumours. During an edition of “Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts”, in which he and a celebrity guest must either answer a provocative question or eat something foul, Corden addressed the speculation.

“Genuinely, I have no idea where that story came from, I think someone started a rumour somewhere and someone jumped on it,” Corden explained. “There’s absolutely no truth to that story at all, zero.”

He continued: “As far as considering it, I think it would be a crazy thing to take over from someone who I think has done the job outrageously well for like 18 years.

“It’s not true and when the day comes to end this show, it will be the day to probably stop hosting a show every day.”

Presenter was reportedly considered DeGeneres’s ‘long-term successor’ (Getty)

Despite the rumours of DeGeneres’s imminent departure, the star returned to her talk show this week (21 September), where she addressed the controversy surrounding her.

Her statement, however, came under fire from a number of her former employees, one of whom claimed DeGeneres “turned [their] trauma into a joke”.