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Celebrity

25th Oct 2022

James Corden recalls father’s advice after “rude, rude comment” to restaurant staff

Stephen Porzio

“I made a rude comment and it was wrong.”

James Corden has spoken up about being banned from a New York restaurant, admitting he was “rude” and “ungracious”.

Last week, Keith McNally – the owner of the restaurant Balthazar – called Corden on Instagram “the most abusive customer” to the venue’s servers since it opened 25 years ago.

In a now-viral post, the restauranteur stated that the British actor and TV host “yelled like crazy” at staff because his wife’s order was wrong.

McNally also revealed that he had banned Corden from Balthazar but in a follow-up post later lifted the ban, claiming that Corden had phoned him to apologise.

 

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A post shared by Keith McNally (@keithmcnallynyc)

Reflecting on the controversy on Monday’s The Late Late Show, Corden expressed regret about his behaviour.

“As some of you may have seen last week there were stories about me being banned from a restaurant,” he said.

“Whenever these sorts of moments come my way, I like to adopt quite a British attitude of sort of keep calm and carry on.

“Things are going to get written about me. ‘Never complain, never explain’ – it’s very much my motto.”

“But as my dad pointed out to me on Saturday, he said, ‘Son, well, you did complain. So you might need to explain.’ When you make a mistake, you got to take responsibility.”

Corden explained that he, his wife and some friends went for breakfast in Balthazar a few weeks ago.

“Genuinely, I love it there, I love the food, the vibe, the service. If I lived in New York, I’d go every day, on the proviso that, you know, they would let me in,” he said.

“So we sit down, we ordered and my wife explained that she has a serious food allergy, right? So, when everybody’s meals came, my wife was given the food that she was allergic to.

“She hadn’t taken a bite of it or anything, no worries. We sent it back. All was good.

“As her meal came wrong to the table the third time, in the heat of the moment, I made a sarcastic, rude comment about cooking it myself and it is a comment I deeply regret.”

Clip via The Late Late Show with James Corden

Corden stated that he understands the difficulties of being a server as he worked shifts in restaurants for years.

“I have such respect and I value anyone that does such a job and the team at that restaurant are so great. That’s why I love it there,” he added.

“Here’s the truth of it, right? Because I didn’t shout or scream – like 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.

“But the truth of it is I have. I made a rude comment and it was wrong. It was an unnecessary comment. It was ungracious to the server.”

Corden said that when he saw McNally’s post, he phoned the restauranteur immediately and told him how upset he was that anybody was hurt by anything he had said or done.

“We had a good talk. He appreciated the call. I was happy that we got to clear the air and I felt like we dealt with it privately,” he also stated.

“But by this point, the story was out there. And well, people were upset.

“I 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.

“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 apologise in person which is something I will absolutely do.”