TV chef Curtis Stone has said he was “shocked” to hear accusations that James Corden was “abusive” to staff in a New York City restaurant.
The 46-year-old Australian chef, who owns three restaurants in the US, said that The Late Late Show host has “always been a lovely guest” when he dines at one of his establishments.
Stone described the comedian as an “absolute gentleman” and “very kind and friendly to the staff”.
It comes after Corden was temporarily banned from Balthazar by owner Keith McNally, who claimed he had been “the most abusive customer” towards the restaurant staff.
Asked by TMZ if it was in “poor taste” to accuse a customer publicly of being rude, Stone said: “I do think it’s a little off-colour… We’re in the hospitality industry so we create special moments for people [who are] getting together with people they love and care about. Sometimes they have a lot of fun, sometimes they behave a little crazy. We make that safe space for them.”
In an Instagram post last week, McNally alleged that Corden had mistreated his staff on two occasions and branded him a “tiny cretin of a man”.
However, he rescinded the ban shortly after the comedian apparently called him and “apologised profusely”. McNally wrote in a second post: “All is forgiven.”
But Corden dismissed the restaurateur’s posts as “so silly” and “beneath all of us” in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday (20 October).
He told the publication: “I haven’t done anything wrong, on any level.”
The following day, McNally once again took to Instagram to blast the actor and TV host for claiming he had done nothing wrong.
He questioned if Corden was “joking”, adding: “Or was he denying being abusive to my servers? Whatever Corden meant, his implication was clear: he didn’t do it.”
The business owner accused Corden of “lying” but said he could still redeem himself by apologising directly to the restaurant staff that he was allegedly rude to.
If he does so, McNally vowed he would let Corden “eat for free at Balthazar for the next 10 years”.
