"The Late Late Show with James Corden" is known for putting its guests in hot water. However, on October 17, Corden found himself firmly in the spotlight when the owner of the famous New York restaurant Balthazar personally and publicly banned him from the spotlight. According to restaurant owner Keith McNally, Corden was kicked out after he was found to be rude to a waiter on a previous trip. But soon after, the restraining order was lifted, with McNally claiming Corden had called him and was "deeply sorry" for the situation.
Corden initially seemed reluctant to go public with the incident in an interview with The New York Times , and later addressed the incident on camera during an Oct. 24 taping of his talk show. While discussing Balthazar's recent incident, Corden admitted to making "rude" comments to employees. He claimed he did this after his wife, Julia Carey, received food she was allergic to, despite flagging her allergy when he ordered the food.
"My wife ate the food she was allergic to. But she didn't eat a bite. No worries, we sent it back and everything was fine," he recalled. “When her meal arrived for the third time, in the heat of the moment, I made a sarcastic, rude comment about my own cooking, which turned out to be a comment that I deeply regret.”
Elaborating on the incident, which sparked widespread criticism of him online, he said: "I didn't yell or scream. I didn't get up from my seat. I didn't insult anyone or use derogatory language. I was Thinking, I didn't do anything wrong, right? But the truth is, I did." He temporarily took responsibility, adding: "I made the rude comment and it was an unnecessary comment. It’s very rude.”
Corden, whose British parents were also watching the show in Los Angeles, went on to say that he would never intentionally annoy someone and that he has the utmost respect for people in the service industry. Corden also admitted that his popularity has taken a major hit on social media, and he's even read some mild comments about him online amid the restaurant ban. Whether his apology will actually be accepted by the public remains to be seen.
Corden's televised apology contrasted with his recent interview with The New York Times , in which he did not admit or apologize for any wrongdoing related to the Balthazar incident. Sitting across from reporters in a New York restaurant, the 44-year-old said: "I've done nothing wrong, on any level. So why would I cancel this [interview]? I was there. I get it. I feel so zen about the whole thing. I just think it’s below you.”
The father-of-three revealed he was likely to discuss the situation on his talk show on Monday (October 24), before downplaying the incident which has dominated online conversations over the past week status. He told reporters: "I promise you, go to this restaurant and ask. They don't know about it. Maybe 15 percent of the people. I've been here, hanging out in New York, and no one has come to me. We're here It’s two worlds here.”
Stressing his point, he added, "If I lived on Twitter, Hillary Clinton would be President of the United States and Jeremy Corbyn won in a landslide."
The saga began on October 17, when McNally issued a very severe public ban, informing everyone that Corden had been "86" (asked to leave) his restaurant. The business owner claimed: "James Corden is an extremely talented comedian but a little idiot. This is the most abusive customer to my Balthazar waiter since the restaurant opened 25 years ago." McKenna Leigh went on to give two examples of Corden's alleged misconduct.
The first example occurred in June this year, when Corden was said to have been "extremely nasty" to a staff member after he claimed he found a hair in his food. According to the staff member's report, not only did he demand that his tablemate's drinks be served for free, he also threatened to write a bad review on Yelp.
The second time was on October 9, when Corden and his wife visited the restaurant. The 44-year-old discovered a bit of egg white mixed with egg yolk in his dish and then made another mistake when his recreated dish was served to the table with chips instead of salad. The aged man started shouting.
"You can't do your job. You can't do your job! Maybe I should go in the kitchen and make my own omelet," he allegedly said. Corden was reportedly nice to the manager after he was offered champagne to resolve the issue, but is said to still be unkind to the waiter.
A few hours later, McNally posted another photo of the talk show face on Instagram, only this time the message loaded considerably less. "James Corden just called me and apologized profusely. I've had it worse than most, so I'm a firm believer in second chances," McNally wrote. “Anyone who is generous enough to apologize to deadbeats like me (and my staff) should not be banned from anywhere. Especially Balthazar. So, back to 5 & Dime, Jimmy Corden, Jimmy Corden. All is forgiven. "
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