The expectations for a Tony Awards host must be a lot higher than for other award shows. Sure, the Academy Awards are a Big Deal, and you don’t want to look stupid hosting that show (James Franco), but that’s a ceremony for movie people. If you make a fool of yourself on that stage (James Franco), it’s alright because movie people don’t usually get up on a stage and try to be entertaining. At the Tonys, though, they live to tread the proverbial boards, so they’ll all notice if you do a bad job.
This year, The Late Late Show’s James Corden will be the one subjecting himself to all of that pressure by hosting the Tony Awards ceremony on June 12. Corden has appeared on Broadway twice and has even won a Tony himself, so the odds of him pulling the Tony-equivalent of a James Franco seem pretty slim, but you never know. In a statement to the Associated Press, Corden said that he’s “absolutely thrilled” to be hosting The Tonys, and that he “can’t wait to dust off [his] tap shoes.”