James Corden has found himself in the midst of a strange feud over the past week regarding his behavior at a New York restaurant. After being called a “tiny Cretin of a man” by famed restaurateur Keith McNally for two supposed “abusive” incidents at Balthazar, the late night host “apologized profusely,” but later claimed he’d done nothing wrong. McNally banned Corden from the establishment pending an apology to his staff, and that expression of regret did come, but not before the restaurant owner recalled an amusing incident related to the brouhaha that took place on a long flight.
James Corden Addresses Restaurant Brouhaha On The Late Late Show
James Corden may be stepping away from The Late Late Show after eight years, but before he “goes out on top,” he used his platform on October 24 to address his behavior during the two incidents at Balthazar. See what he had to say:
The host’s recollection of events seemed to mostly match up with what Keith McNally said, except that the Cats alum said he never raised his voice. In fact, the media personality said, it was because he didn’t shout or get out of his seat or call anyone names that made him think he hadn’t done anything wrong. However, he said Monday, he realized he was wrong. He admitted to making a “rude” and “unnecessary” comment. He said he was sorry and promised to make an in-person apology the next time he’s in New York, should McNally allow him to do so.
Restaurateur Relays Hilarious James Corden-Related Interaction On Plane
Upon James Corden’s TV apology, Balthazar’s owner said on Instagram that Corden’s ban was officially lifted. But before that, Keith McNally revealed an awkwardly amusing exchange he’d had while flying from New York to London, saying in a separate post that he’d been perplexed at the over-attentiveness of a flight attendant. In McNally’s words:
For the first hour of my flight from NY to London I was really pleased by how easy it was for me to get the flight attendant’s attention. But then it changed, and for the next five hours the flight attendant hovered so close to my seat that it became quite weird. I only had to move a fraction in my seat and she’d come running over. Then I discovered her reason. Ten minutes before landing, she leaned into me conspiratorially and whispered, ‘I never cared for James Corden either.’
I can only imagine this elicited some relief, if not a good laugh, from the restaurant owner, who’d apparently spent the past five hours being weirded out by the flight attendant’s hovering. To find out she just wanted to roast the late night host likely explained a lot.
Time will tell whether there will be any additional backtracking on either side of this feud and whether James Corden can continue eating at Balthazar with no further issues for anyone involved. Fans of The Late Late Show can continue to watch the host at 12:37 a.m. ET on CBS ahead of his exit in 2023. Also check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what premieres are coming soon.
