James Corden and Trevor Noah praised for paying furloughed staff members out of own pockets

James Corden in a video for our appeal, in which he asks for donations to help get thousands more tested for HIV: YouTube
James Corden in a video for our appeal, in which he asks for donations to help get thousands more tested for HIV: YouTube

James Corden and Trevor Noah have been praised for vowing to pay their staff’s wages after they were furloughed because of coronavirus.

Variety reports that Corden made the decision one week before CBS stopped paying 60 people who work on his series, The Late Late Show.

The US network covered the staff members’ salaries for eight weeks after production initially came to an end.

It’s unknown the amount Corden will pay, but it’s reported it will be a weekly mid-five figure sum.

Corden follows Noah, who will be paying 25 of his crew members until production begins again on The Daily Show, and Jimmy Kimmel, who is reportedly paying his stagehands from his own pocket.

The news comes as Ellen DeGeneres – who has a net worth of $330m compared to Corden’s $12m – allegedly faces criticism for leaving her staff members in the dark about their pay situation.

A source told Variety: ”Radio silence from producers created anxiety among crew members who feared they would be furloughed and, in that case, would need to explore unemployment benefits.”

It was reported that DeGeneres had hired a non-union company to help her produce the show from her own home while lockdown continued.

The news comes as the TV host was accused of being “sly and kind of demeaning” by the bodyguard who was hired to protect her and her family at the Oscars in 2014.

Read more

Normal People’s Paul Mescal on mental health, sex scenes and love

Psycho vs Peeping Tom: Why was only one a career killer?

Why the horrors of Eyes Without a Face are just as visceral today