James Corden denies doing ‘anything wrong’ in ‘awkward’ NYT interview after accusations of restaurant rudeness
Restaurateur Keith McNally had initially banned the comedian from his upscale Manhattan eatery, calling him the 'most abusive' customer they'd ever had – but then rescinded it
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}James Corden "defiantly" denied any bad behavior on his part after a New York restaurant owner posted on Instagram earlier this week that the comedian had been "abusive" to his staff during a recent meal, calling the late-night host a "Cretin of a man" and saying he was banned from the eatery.
"I haven’t done anything wrong, on any level," the "Late Late Show" host told the New York Times in a prescheduled interview Thursday that the reporter described as "awkward."
He added, "It feels like such a silly thing to talk about."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hours after Keith McNally said Corden was banned from Manhattan restaurant Balthazar on Monday, the restaurateur backed off, saying the host had "profusely" apologized and was welcome to come back.
JAMES CORDEN NO LONGER BANNED FROM KEITH MCNALLY'S UPSCALE NYC RESTAURANT AFTER ‘PROFUSE’ APOLOGY
James Corden on his show in 2020. (Terence Patrick/CBS via Getty Images )
The comedian reportedly remained cagey in the Times interview held at another restaurant days later that was meant to focus on his new Amazon show "Mammals" but was almost entirely about the he said, he said incident.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}While Corden admitted he would "probably" have to bring it up on his show Monday night, he avoided the idea that it was worthy of discussion, pointing out that thousands of people send back their food while out to eat and accusing the Times of asking questions "beneath" them.
Corden said he had no qualms about going forward with the Times interview because "I feel so Zen about the whole thing. Because I think it’s so silly. I just think it’s beneath all of us. It’s beneath you. It’s certainly beneath your publication."
Keith McNally, right, rescinded his ban against James Corden, left, from eating at his restaurant on Monday after initially saying he was the "most abusive" customer the eatery had experienced. McNally said the comedian had "profusely" apologized. (Getty Images)
The host didn’t give his version of events from the disputed dining incident during the interview or say if he apologized as McNally claimed, according to the reporter.
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He said he hadn’t really read any of the reporting about his claimed behavior or looked at anything on social media but felt any feeling of ill will toward him because of McNally’s post was likely on the part of a minority of people.
File photo of the SoHo restaurant Balthazar in New York City. (Keith Bedford/Getty Images)
"Should we not all be a little grown-up about this?" he told the Times. "I promise you, ask around this restaurant. They don’t know about this. Maybe 15% of people. I’ve been here, been walking around New York, not one person’s come up to me. We’re dealing in two worlds here. If I lived on Twitter, Hillary Clinton is the President of the United States and Jeremy Corbyn won by a landslide."
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Ironically, in his show "Mammals" Corden plays a cook who finally reaches his limit and tells off a chef who has treated him and the rest of his staff badly.