James Corden has reportedly apologized for his alleged “abusive” behavior toward employees at Balthazar, a popular NYC restaurant frequented by the stars. After initially accusing the late-night host of mistreating the restaurant’s waitstaff on Instagram on Oct. 17, a few hours later, Balthazar owner Keith McNally shared that Corden had kindly responded to his claims.
“I strongly believe in second chances.”
“James Corden just called me and apologized profusely,” McNally wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of Corden. “Having f*cked up myself more than most people, I strongly believe in second chances.” He also joked, “So if James Corden lets me host his Late Late Show for 9 months, I’ll immediately rescind his ban from Balthazar. No, of course not. But . . . anyone magnanimous enough to apologize to a deadbeat layabout like me (and my staff) doesn’t deserve to be banned from anywhere. Especially Balthazar. So Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Corden, Jimmy Corden. All is Forgiven. xx”
Earlier on Tuesday, McNally, who also owns famed NYC establishments like Pastis, Morandi, and Minetta Tavern, detailed incidents involving the “Late Late Show” host. “James Corden is a Hugely gifted comedian, but a tiny Cretin of a man. And the most abusive customer to my Balthazar servers since the restaurant opened 25 years ago,” he wrote, before explaining an incident in June in which Corden was “extremely nasty” to a Balthazar manager after finding a hair in his dish, and another a few weeks prior when he yelled at a server upon receiving an incorrect order. “You can’t do your job! Maybe I should go into the kitchen and cook the omelette myself!” Corden allegedly said to the server.
“I don’t often 86 a customer, [but] today I 86’d Corden. It did not make me laugh,” McNally continued. (“86” is a term used in the restaurant industry in reference to removing a customer from an establishment or an item from the menu.)
Though it seems like the situation is now resolved, the comedian has yet to address the situation publicly. Corden’s representatives did not immediately respond to POPSUGAR’s request for comment.
