By Samantha Jones-
James Corden has apologetically admitted he was “rude” and “ungracious” during an incident that ended in him being banned from a New York restaurant.
The actor and comedian was briefly barred from Balthazar in Manhattan last week after its owner, Keith McNally, claimed in a social media post that he had been “extremely nasty” to his staff on two separate occasions.
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Addressing the incident during the latest episode of his talk show, The Late Late Show, Corden said it was never his intention to upset the restaurant workers, but said he was reacting to the fact his wife Julia Carey was given “food which she was allergic to” and that her order had “come wrong to the table” three times.
“But as my dad pointed out to me on Saturday, he said: ‘Well son, you did complain so you might need to explain’. When you make a mistake, you’ve got to take responsibility so I thought I would share with you what happened.”
Corden explained that when dining at the Balthazar in New York, his wife was given food to which she was allergic to, despite a conversation about the allergy. He said they sent it back and “all was good”.
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After the order was re-made, he said that when it came back to the table incorrect “for the third time”, he added that “in the heat of the moment”, he made a “sarcastic, rude comment”.
He said he “deeply regretted” the remark, adding that he understood the difficulties of being a server, referencing his own past experience of working shifts at restaurants.
The 44-year-old added that in the immediate aftermath, he had been “walking around thinking that I haven’t done anything wrong”.
“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,” he said on the CBS show.
“But the truth is I have made a rude, rude comment. And it was wrong. It was an unnecessary comment, it was ungracious to the server.”
The Gavin and Stacey star explained that after seeing Mr McNally’s post, he “immediately” contacted him and they “had a good talk”.
MOer its owner Keith McNally claimed he had been “extremely nasty” to his staff on two separate occasions.
Mr McNally’s social media post prompted a strong backlash on social media, with calls for Corden to be “banned” from other venues.
Heat Of The Moment
On Monday’s episode of his CBS show, Corden said his comments had been “in the heat of the moment” but vowed he would “apologise in person” to the staff at Balthazar.
Speaking about Mr McNally’s claims, he said: “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’ve been walking around thinking that I haven’t done anything wrong.
“But the truth is I have made a rude, rude comment. And it was wrong. It was an unnecessary comment, it was ungracious to the server.”
Corden said that after seeing Mr McNally’s post he had “immediately” contacted him to “tell him how upset I was”.
“(I told him) how upset I was that anybody was hurt by anything that I had done and anything that I had said and we had a good talk,” he said.
“He appreciated the call. I was happy that we got to clear the air. And I felt like we dealt with it privately … but by this point, the story was out there and more people were upset.”
After showing a series of scathing tweets to his audience, he continued: “I get it. I totally understand. I understand everybody getting upset and I accept everybody’s opinion.
“I also hate, as I said to the owner that day, that I’ve ever upset anybody ever.
“It was never my intention. It just wasn’t. 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 apologise in person, which is something I will absolutely do.”
Mr McNally lifted his ban after receiving Corden’s apology, also announcing the news on social media.
Corden previously told the New York Times that he did “nothing wrong” and was feeling “zen” about the interview.
During an interview, planned prior to the incident, he also suggested that any online criticism of him likely reflected only a small part of the population.
Corden announced in April that he was stepping down as the host of The Late Late Show in the US.
The star is said to have extended his contract with CBS to present the show for one more year before finishing in the summer of 2023.
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