Why Craig Ferguson Left The Late Late Show
The format of a late-night talk show has been etched in stone since the era of Johnny Carson, and only a few have tried to break that formula. Chevy Chase took a stab at it with his ill-fated "The Chevy Chase Show" that flamed out after only six weeks on the air. Conan O'Brien was able to last a lot longer than anyone expected when he first got the job by breaking all the rules of late-night, which has helped him find a new life through his YouTube channel and podcast empire. Meanwhile, Stephen Colbert has leaned into the format's archetype by playing the part of the TV showman, albeit with a geekier side than anyone before him.
That's what made Craig Ferguson's run as the host of "The Late Late Show" so remarkable. His tenure was marked by both his manic, horndog energy and his candor, with a laissez-faire attitude that showed respect for the format's conventions without ever sticking to them. Fans who would tune in late, late at night were just as likely to catch him yucking it up with his robot sidekick, Geoff, as they would see him speak from the heart about his struggles with addiction in defense of Britney Spears.
His tenure on "The Late Late Show" ran from 2005 to 2014, ending at the same time David Letterman left CBS, and now we know why he called it quits.
Ferguson 'enjoyed' hosting but found the schedule was 'all-consuming'
In an interview with the Spokesman-Review, Ferguson spoke candidly about his experience hosting the show, saying that he loved the show while admitting that it wasn't "enough to do it every single day." The biggest challenge of hosting the show hit close to home:
"The tough part for me is all the time spent away from your family. Talk shows just take over your life. I'm grateful for the show, but I had to step away from it."
Ferguson noted that other late-night hosts are more than happy to put everything into their show, noting that he's good friends with Jay Leno, whose professionalism led him to spend far more time on his show than Ferguson was willing to commit. Since he left "The Late Late Show," Ferguson has hosted a variety of game and talk shows, none of which carry the same demanding schedule as his tenure on CBS required of him. For fans who miss their daily dose of Craig, they can catch him performing stand-up, which he's "eternally grateful for."