Like millions of people around the world, James Corden is tired of failing his New Year's resolution to lose weight.
The 42-year-old host of CBS' "The Late Late Show" has therefore signed a multi-year deal to become a celebrity spokesmodel for Weight Watchers and drop the excess pounds for good by participating in their program.
"I've realized that every year for the past decade, probably even 15 years, on January 1st, I've told myself and anyone that would listen that this is it, this is the year I'm going on a diet. I'm going to lose a load of weight. I'm fed up with the way I look. I'm fed up with being unhealthy and this is it, this is the year I'm doing it," Corden said in a YouTube video posted on Friday, New Year's Day. "And because of that, I've over Christmas eaten everything that's in the fridge because in my head, in January, I'm starting this diet and it'll be a success and as you can see, well, it hasn't."
He continued, "It started to get me down in a way that I've just sort of never really been able to stick to anything like that and I think I've just probably spent a long time just accepting that this is my body and that's it. But I really am sick and tired really of just doing the same thing every year."
The star invited fans to join him on his weight loss journey, saying, "Let's make this the last year that this is our New Year's resolution."
Corden said he contacted Weight Watchers and asked for help. As part of their new partnership, the TV host will follow the new myWW+ plan, which offers a holistic approach to weight loss and wellness.
"I want to change the way that I live. I want to be better for my children and for my family," Corden said in a Weight Watchers press release. "I don't want to wake up tired, or feel embarrassed when I'm chasing my son on the soccer field and out of breath after three minutes. The weight is not the issue, it's the wellness of it I am ready to tackle."
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The company said that "to encourage as many people as possible to embark on a health journey," 100,000 digital Weight Watchers memberships will be given "to those who have endured financial hardship over the last year."
Corden, who is also an actor and once starred on the hit British drama series "Fat Friends," has been candid about his weight loss struggles and has lost and regained pounds over the years. In November, he told CBS News' "60 Minutes" that when he was in school, he was bullied because of his size.
Also last year, Corden talked to The New Yorker about missing out on invitations to movie auditions due to his weight. He said, "I was good for playing a bubbly judge in a courtroom, or I'd be the guy who drops off a TV to Hugh Grant in a movie."
"If someone came from another planet and put on the television, you would think that people who are big or overweight don't have sex," he continued. "They don't fall in love. They're friends of people who fall in love. They're probably not that bright, but they're a good time, and they're not as valuable as people who are really good-looking."
In 2019, Corden publicly responded to a fat-shaming joke Bill Maher told on Real Time with Bill Maher.
"Anytime I've met Bill Maher in person, he has been nothing but pleasant and kind and nice, which is why I found it so surprising that he or anybody thinks that fat-shaming needs to make a comeback," Corden said on "The Late Late Show." "Because fat-shaming never went anywhere. I mean, ask literally any fat person."
He continued, "There's a common and insulting misconception that fat people are stupid and lazy, and we're not. We get it, we know. We know that being overweight isn't good for us and I've struggled my entire life trying to manage my weight and I suck at it. I've had good days and bad months. I've basically been off and on diets since as long as I can remember and well, this is how it's going."
Corden said fat-shaming is really just bullying, and will not solve the obesity epidemic.
"It's proven that fat-shaming only does one thing," Corden said. "It makes people feel ashamed and shame leads to depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior. Self-destructive behavior like overeating."
