The tide has been turning on James Corden. His Golden Globes nomination hasn't helped.

In recent months, the tide has really turned on James Corden.

The late night TV host and Gavin & Stacey actor is best known as a self-deprecating funny Brit - and the guy who does Carpool Karaoke.

His most recent role was in the Netflix musical The Prom. 

Watch: The Prom trailer. Post continues below video.

It's scored him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor-Comedy or Musical, but also a barrage of criticism and controversy.

It's also further increased the mutterings that Corden is not 'nice'. 

The criticism is similar to that levelled at Ellen DeGeneres throughout 2020 and ironically, there was speculation Corden could replace her as host of the daytime show.

But the internet has strong thoughts and feelings on Corden, and there are signs Corden's reputation could be heading the same way.

What is the Golden Globe nomination drama?

In Netflix's The Prom, Corden, a straight man, plays gay Broadway star Barry Glickman in a way many considered stereotypical and offensive.

"Corden is playing off crass gay stereotypes rather than sublimating them into his character," Indiewire wrote.

"Few straight actors could get away with a gay character like this, a role that would feel stereotypical in an 80s sitcom and here feels offensive," Newsweek critic Samuel Spencer said, noting Corden was "offensively miscast" in the role.

Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson called it so bad "no more straight actors [should play] gay men until the sins of The Prom are properly atoned for".

James Corden in The Prom. Image: Netflix. 

Yet despite the almost universal panning, Corden received a Golden Globes nomination. 

In fact, he was the only member of the film's cast to get one. Even Meryl Streep was snubbed.

The internet - almost constantly at each other's throats - were mostly in agreement: This was weird.

James Corden acts gay for two hours and gets a Golden Globe nomination, I act straight for 23 years and all I get is trauma

— Justin Randall (@imjustinrandall) February 3, 2021

The Golden Globe nominations always read like a drunk person trying not to sound drunk. Everything's normal and then you think, "Did you just say James Corden in 'The Prom'?"

— Louis Virtel (@louisvirtel) February 3, 2021

So far, Corden has not responded to his nomination or addressed the criticism - but given his silence over the past six months, as accusations about his attitude and behaviour swirled - this is not much of a surprise.

What are the rumours about James Corden?

A lot of this is not 'new', but in 2020 the internet - and a fellow comedian - spoke about how Corden is not 'nice'. 

First, let's back up a little to past allegations.

In his homeland, Corden was painted as ungrateful and entitled, especially after moaning about Gavin & Stacey not being nominated for the 2008 best comedy BAFTA award.

There are articles about Corden's perceived attitude floating around from 2017, and in 2010 there was commentary about a very awkward, very public run in he had with Sir Patrick Stewart.

See below, and prepare to feel... uncomfortable:

In 2019, Corden made an appearance on Reddit's AMA (Ask Me Anything) thread to promote a special edition of Carpool Karaoke, but it massively backfired.

Comments calling Corden names hijacked the thread. With more than 700 comments, Corden and his team were reportedly only able to answer about three fan questions before leaving the conversation.

Comments called him rude, an a***hole and much worse.

One person claimed Corden had "allegedly showed up to a WGA [Writer's Guild Of America] union meeting for late night writers with an executive producer and none of the writing staff" and advocated less pay for new writers under their union-negotiated minimum wage.

Corden had previously denied this was the case.

Murmurs of his attitude resurfaced when Corden's name was floated as a replacement for DeGeneres, with Twitter users claiming doing so would replace one problematic talk show host with another just as problematic.

Fast forward to October 2020, and Vanity Fair published a profile on comedian Eric Andre - who was another name in the mix as DeGeneres' successor.

Image: Getty. 

In criticising cancel culture, Andre may have helped the internet justify Corden's.

"We have a psychopath in the White House and we're in the longest war of all time. It seems like small potatoes compared to the world crumbling into these right-wing authoritarian dictatorships and these industrialised nations," Andre began.

"Boohoo, Ellen was mean. Who gives a s***? I never thought she was nice! She seems like she’d be like, 'F***ing get me a coffee! Now!'

"Is that what cancel culture's devolved to? 'That guy's not nice!' James Corden is f***ed if that's the only criteria to get called out.

"James Corden and [The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon executive producer] Lorne Michaels are screwed! They're trembling in their f***ing boots."

Within days of the Andre interview, Instagram account Deux Moi (which shares mostly anonymous messages about celebrities/pop culture, sent in by followers) had posted several stories alleging negative interactions with Corden.

Deux Moi does not confirm statements, and as far as this writer can tell, they all came from anonymous Instagram users.

Among them was someone whose co-worker said Corden dropped his jacket on the ground at the Met Gala and when he was told he needed to check it in, replied "someone will handle it".

James Corden apparently even worse than ellen according to deuxmoi plssss lmfao pic.twitter.com/Zev0HlvFw4

— ً (@SUCCESSlON) October 26, 2020

Why is James Corden trending? What has he done now...swear he was a horrible person anyway lol? Another Ellen? Oop 👀 ☕️

— Emma (@emma_3213) October 22, 2020

Another account claimed they had served Corden and other diners (including Harry Styles) at a London restaurant and he had been rude to wait staff.

"He screamed at me when his meal came out because it wasn't what he wanted," their message said.

This was shared alongside a screenshot from the previously mentioned AMA, where a commenter said:

"Me and my friends sat at a table next to you and Harry Styles + some others in Manchurian Legends in London's Chinatown about six years ago. We didn't bother you but you were a massively entitled c*** who yelled and treated the waitstaff like shit, and when one of my party politely suggested you calm down, you got really aggressive and threatening."

(One positive: Harry Styles remains unscathed. Maybe we can have nice things.)

Other Deux Moi claims allege Corden is a serial 'food returner'.

Among the posts, there were also messages from people who had different accounts of Corden and found these hard to believe.

"My husband has worked with [Corden] a couple of times... He said James was just the most congenial, happy-go-lucky [person], cracking jokes from the moment he came on, knows how to make fun of himself and puts the people around him at ease."

What has James Corden said?

Corden has not responded to criticism of his nomination, nor addressed the more recent rumours about his behaviour.

However, he has spoken about how proud he is of his role in the Netflix film - especially of scenes in which his character discusses falling out with his family as a teenager after coming out as gay.

"I get emotional when I think about those scenes about his family, if I’m honest," Corden told Metro.

"They are important scenes which move the story and character forward. [As an actor] you spend quite a long time, just personally, feeling like you might be able to have a bit more to give.

"Like you might be able to have a bit more depth and you want someone like Ryan [Murphy] to come along and drop a script in your lap like this.

"And then you go, 'Oh God, what if I am not able to do these things?' Ryan, I will be indebted to forever for his guidance, the way that he led me through it. The way he led me through it as a director, the way he led me through it as a friend, the way he led me through it as a gay man. And I'll treasure those days.”

In January 2020, Corden admitted he began to "behave like a brat" and let fame get to his head earlier in his career - especially in 2008, when the British press and public blasted him for complaining about Gavin & Stacey's BAFTA nominations.

"I started to behave like a brat that I just don't think I am," he told the New Yorker.

"It's so intoxicating, that first flush of fame. And I think it’s even more intoxicating if you're not bred for it."

This article was originally published on October 29, 2020 and has been updated.

Feature image: Getty.