James Corden apologizes for restaurant complaints: 'I made a rude comment and it was wrong'
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James Corden took the time to earnestly address all the restaurant drama surrounding his publicized ban from New York City restaurant Balthazar and his eventual unbanning.
Corden returned to The Late Late Show Monday after a brief break and dedicated part of his opener to the situation. "Because I didn't shout or scream, I didn't get up out of my seat, I didn't call anyone names or use derogatory language, I have been walking around thinking that I hadn't done anything wrong," he said. "But the truth is I have. I made a rude comment and it was wrong. It was an unnecessary comment. It was ungracious to the server."
Keith McNally, the owner of Balthazar, an upscale hotspot in Manhattan, posted to Instagram earlier this month to say that Corden, described as "a tiny Cretin of a man" and "the most abusive customer to my Balthazar servers since the restaurant opened 25 years ago," had been banned from the eatery. McNally cited two instances where Corden had reportedly been rude and "nasty" to the servers.
Less than a day later, McNally posted again to say that Corden had called him and apologized for the situation, which led McNally to unban the late-night personality. But then Corden was asked about the drama in an interview with The New York Times, and he said, "I was there. I get it. I feel so Zen about the whole thing. Because I think it's so silly. I just think it's beneath all of us. It's beneath you. It's certainly beneath your publication."
McNally then posted a third time to say, "I've no wish to kick a man when he's down. Especially one who's worth $100 Million, but when James Corden said in yesterday's NY Times that he hadn't done 'anything wrong, on any level,' was he joking?" McNally asked on Instagram. "Or was he denying being abusive to my servers? Whatever Corden meant, his implication was clear: he didn't do it."
On The Late Late Show, Corden brought up one instance that McNally mentioned in his original Instagram post. He said he attended Balthazar the other week with his wife and friends, and there was a situation where the server brought his wife a dish containing ingredients to which she was allergic. The dish had been sent back to the kitchen multiple times, Corden continued. "In the heat of the moment, I made a sarcastic, rude comment about cooking it myself and it is a comment I deeply regret," he said. "I understand the difficulties of being a server. I worked shifts at restaurants for years. I have such respect and I value anyone that does such a job."
The Late Late Show with James Corden/YouTube James Corden addresses the Balthazar restaurant drama on 'The Late Late Show.'
When Corden read what McNally wrote on Instagram, he said he called the owner right away. "I told him how upset I was that anybody was hurt by anything that I had done and anything that I had said," Corden mentioned. "And we had a good talk and he appreciated the call. I was happy we got to clear the air and I felt like we dealt with it privately."
By this point the story had already gotten out there in the press. Corden then read some angry tweets from those who read about the conflict. "As I said to the owner that day, that I've ever upset anybody ever, it was never my intention. It just wasn't," he said. "And I love that restaurant. I love the staff there. I hope I'm allowed in again one day so when I'm back in New York I can go there and apologize in person, which is something I will absolutely do."
Watch Corden's Late Late Show opener in the video above.
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