James Corden apologises over "unnecessary comment" to restaurant staff
James Corden has apologised for making an "unnecessary comment" towards staff at a New York restaurant.
Returning to hosting duties on The Late Late Show following a week off, Corden addressed the allegations made by restaurant owner Keith McNally on Monday night's (October 24) episode.
"Last week, there were stories about me being banned from a restaurant. At the time I considered tweeting about it or Instagramming about it. But, whenever these sorts of moments come my way, I like to adopt a sort of British attitude of 'keep calm and carry on'. 'Never complain, never explain' is very much my motto," he said.
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"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".
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.
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He expanded on the situation by saying: “Because I didn't shout, scream or use derogatory language, I have been walking around thinking: 'I haven't done anything wrong'. But the truth is, I have; I made a rude comment. It was wrong, and it was unnecessary. It was ungracious to the server."
Corden revealed he called McNally just before the story broke, feeling he had "cleared the air" and that the issue was dealt with privately.
McNally had criticised the comedian in an Instagram post on October 18, before following up with a second post saying Corden had "apologised profusely", leading to him reversing the talk-show host's restaurant ban.
The Late Late Show with James Corden airs on CBS in the US, and on Sky Comedy and NOW in the UK. The series will end in summer 2023.
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