James Corden of “The Late Late Show” was named on Tuesday to host this year’s Tony Awards.
Mr. Corden is an accomplished comic actor who won a Tony Award in 2012 for his starring role in “One Man, Two Guvnors.” He also appeared on Broadway in 2006, as a British grammar school student in “The History Boys.”
The awards ceremony, which honors Broadway musicals and plays, is to be broadcast on CBS on June 12.
The Tonys, presented by the Broadway League and the American Theater Wing, are an important form of marketing for Broadway, because the broadcast is often the first time a national audience is introduced to new shows.
Ratings for the broadcast have drifted downward over the years. Last year’s show, hosted by Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming, drew an average of 6.5 million viewers — significantly less than the Oscars, but still a sizable audience for Broadway.