James Corden Addresses Balthazar Ban, Apologizes for Being Rude to Server (Video)

“I hope I’m allowed in again one day, so … I can go there and apologize in person,” Corden said

In his first show back after a week off, James Corden used his monologue on Monday’s “The Late Late Show” to address the matter of his being banned from New York City’s Balthazar.

Corden explained what happened from his point of view, called what he did “a mistake,” and essentially apologized to the restaurant’s staff and said he hopes he’ll be “allowed in one day, so … I can go there and apologize in person.”

In case you need a catch-up, Corden was banned for life from the restaurant by restauranteur Keith McNally, who called him a “tiny cretin of a man” and “the most abusive customer to my Balthazar servers since the restaurant opened 25 years ago.” McNally said Corden was also banned from the other restaurants he owns. McNally rescinded the ban after Corden apologized, but after Corden downplayed the whole thing in a New York Times interview, McNally said Corden could return if he acknowledged he was wrong and apologized to the servers in question.

“As some of you may have seen, last week there were stories about me being banned from a restaurant,” Corden said in his monologue.

“And at the time, I considered tweeting about it or instagramming about it, but whenever these sort of moments come my way, I like to adopt quite a British attitude of ‘Keep Calm and Carry on.’ Things are going to get written about me. ‘Never Complain, Never Explain,’ is very much my motto. But as my dad pointed out to me on Saturday, he said, ‘Son, well, you did complain, so you might need to explain,’” Corden continued.

“Look, when you make a mistake you’ve got to take responsibility, so I thought I would share with you what happened,” he added, explaining that he’d gone to Balthazar for breakfast with some friends.

“I genuinely love it there. I love the food, the vibe, the service. If I lived in New York, I’d go every day. On the provision that, you know, they would let me in,” he said, alluding to the ban.

Corden said that they informed the staff that his wife has a “serious” allergy to certain food, but that when her order was delivered, it contained ingredients she’s allergic to. Corden added that the restaurant got her order wrong three times, which he says was provoked his rudeness.

“In the heat of the moment, I made a sarcastic, rude comment about cooking it myself, and it is a comment I deeply regret. I understand the difficulties of being a server. I worked shifts at restaurants for years. I have such respect and I value anyone that does such a job. And the team at that restaurant are so great – that’s why I love it there. The restaurant manager and the server, they were lovely. They brought out four glasses of Champagne as an apology, but we were like, ‘That’s not necessary, we don’t need it.’ We’d had a great time. Even for me, it was too early to start drinking,” Corden said.

“But here’s the truth of it: Because I didn’t shout, or scream — I didn’t get up out of my seat, I didn’t call anyone names or use derogatory language — I’ve been walking around thinking I hadn’t done anything wrong, right? But the truth is, I have. I made a rude comment, and it was wrong. It was an unnecessary comment. It was ungracious to the server,” Corden continued.

Corden said the owner cited two separate incidents — one in 2014 when he says he sent back a dish with hair on it, and the current incident. He said he immediately set about locating the owner’s phone and calling him.

“I told him how upset I was. How upset I was that anybody was hurt by anything that I had done, and anything that I had said. And we had a good talk. He appreciated the call. I was so happy that we got to clear the air and I felt like we had dealt with it privately,” Corden said. “But at this point, the story was out there and, well, people were upset.”

Corden concluded: “Look, I get it. I totally understand everybody getting upset and I accept everybody’s opinion. I also hate, as I said to the owner that day, that I’ve ever upset anybody, ever. It was never my intention. It just wasn’t. I love that restaurant – I love the staff there – I hope I’m allowed in again one day, so when I’m back in New York, I can go there and apologize in person, which is something I will absolutely do.”

Watch the clip in the video above.

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