NEW YORK • Late-night host James Corden's stock continues to rise. He has been tapped to host the Grammy Awards in February, the network CBS and The Recording Academy announced on Tuesday.

He has catapulted to fame in the last 18 months, thanks in large part to his Carpool Karaoke segments on The Late Late Show, where he performs singalongs with stars such as Adele, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.

He has won a Tony Award and starred in the 2014 movie version of Into The Woods.

He will replace LL Cool J, who had hosted the Grammys for the last five years. In recent years, LL Cool J has played a more limited role than a traditional awards show host, with his main duty being to smoothly guide the show from one string of performances and presenters to the next.

Corden's selection suggests the host's presence is about to become a larger one.

CBS has been broadcasting the Grammys since 1973 and the network recently re-signed its contract with The Record Academy through 2026 - the longest continuous relationship between a single broadcaster and an awards show.

The Grammys, which had 25 million viewers this year, is usually the second-most-viewed awards programme, behind the Academy Awards. But awards-show ratings have been dropping precipitously.

The Academy Awards hit an eight-year low in ratings this year and the Grammys dropped to a seven-year low.

The one exception to the trend? This year's Tony Awards, propelled by the hit musical Hamilton, had a 15-year high in the ratings.

Its host? Corden.

NYTIMES