Craig Ferguson Reveals Why He's Leaving 'The Late Late Show'

The Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson has not only confirmed reports of his exit from the late night talk show, but he's also going into detail on why he's leaving.

Apparently, Ferguson has wanted to reveal his plans to step down from The Late Late Show for months. Originally, he began thinking about ending his run as host about two years ago, but CBS talked him into sticking around a little while longer. So, with his contract temporarily extended, CBS began laying the groundwork for his departure -- which, coincidentally, came long before the network had any idea about David Letterman's plans to retire in early 2015.

“It wasn’t contentious. I was just like, ‘I feel like I’m done,’” Ferguson explained, in an interview with Variety. “We were all fine and were tying up loose ends. And then Dave surprised everybody with the (April 3) announcement and that threw a spanner in the works. And I had to sit and keep my mouth shut while speculation raged wildly.”

Ferguson wanted to step down as early as this summer, but, once again, CBS talked him into sticking it out just a little while longer. So he agreed to stay until December in order to give the network time to find a replacement. However, he didn't do it for the network: Ferguson ultimately agreed to stick around in order to give his staff and crew more time to find new jobs. So let it never be said that Ferguson isn't a loyal guy.

Credit: CBS

But, for his part, Ferguson insists his decision to leave has nothing to do with the retirement of David Letterman, or the announcement that Stephen Colbert would be his replacement.

“It’s an inevitable thing when David announced his retirement, people are going to say ‘Oh he’s leaving because of that.’ No matter what I say or what I do, they’re gonna say that. Well they can say what they like. It’s America. I understand.”

However, while some might not believe it, and Ferguson accepts the likelihood he won't be believed, the late night host insists he's never wanted to take over the 11:35 PM slot from Letterman.

“I had no desire — none — to do that job,” Ferguson said. “I could barely keep it together at 12:30, never mind 11:30. Nobody wants to hear it. It’s so bizarre. People want it to be Jay and Dave or Jay and Conan or some kind of big story. That’s not me, that’s not what I want. I think what happens is that certain people want you to want it, and they want you to not get it. If that makes ‘em happy, well…It really wasn’t what I aspired to. Doing this job wasn’t something I aspired to, either. I kind of fell into this.”

As Ferguson explains, he wanted to get out before the gig became a chore.

“Ten years is a very long time in one job — for me,” he said. “I wanted to leave the show before I stopped enjoying it. That was my goal. I didn’t want it to be a chore….The whole idea is that show business should have some adventure to it, I think. It’s not about knowing what you’re doing day in and day out, year after year.”

So what's next for Ferguson? Well, this fall he'll be hosting and producing the syndicated game show Celebrity Name Game. He's also developing projects with Science Channel and Discovery through his Green Mountain West production company. But what about another talk show?

“I don’t know if I would ever do a latenight talkshow (again). It just doesn’t feel like that’s the way I’m headed.”

Well, wherever Ferguson is headed, he's built a sizable fanbase from his ten years as host of The Late Late Show that will be likely to follow. You can watch video of his farewell announcement embedded below:

Via: Variety