James Corden was on Tuesday said to have “profusely apologised” to a top New York restaurateur after the TV star was accused of being rude to staff.
Keith McNally, owner of the celebrated Balthazar eaterie, claimed on social media that the Late Late Show host had apologised to him after he accused the TV star of being abusive towards staff.
McNally briefly barred Corden from his French restaurant after alleging that he had been “extremely nasty” to his staff on two separate occasions.
But hours later he rescinded the ban after claiming to have received a call from the star.
He wrote on Instagram: “James Corden just called me and apologised profusely. Having f***** up myself more than most people, I strongly believe in second chances.
“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 apologise 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.”
In an earlier post, McNally said he had “86’d” Corden for his alleged behaviour.
Eighty-six-ing a customer is a colloquial term which typically means to stop serving a person, or to kick them out of an establishment.
The restaurateur posted details of what appeared to be a manager’s report from June alleging Corden had demanded a round of drinks having found a hair in his main course at the Manhattan restaurant.
He also shared details of an alleged row over an egg yolk omelette made for Corden’s wife Julia Carey.
“Mr Corden’s wife ordered an egg yolk omelette with gruyere cheese and salad. A few minutes after they received the food, James called their server, M.K. and told her there was a little bit of egg white mixed with the egg yolk,” the post claimed.
It said the kitchen remade the dish but sent it with fries instead of salad. Corden allegedly then “began yelling like crazy at the server: ‘You can’t do your job! You can’t do your job! Maybe I should go into the kitchen and cook the omelette myself!’”
The correct dish was apparently brought to the table and free champagne was handed out “to smooth things over”.
Corden announced in April that he was stepping down as the host of The Late Late Show in the US.
He is said to have extended his contract with CBS to present the show for one more year before finishing in the summer of 2023.
The Standard has contacted Corden’s representatives for comment.
