James Corden dismisses 'silly' allegations he was abusive to servers: 'I haven't done anything wrong'

Thought that James Corden restaurant drama had been put to rest? Think again.
In an interview with The New York Times, the comedian and late-night host responded to restaurateur Keith McNally's recent allegations that he was abusive to servers at his New York restaurant Balthazar.
"I haven't done anything wrong, on any level," Corden told the Times, adding, "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."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Earlier this week, McNally said on Instagram he had banned Corden from Balthazar for being the "most abusive customer to my Balthazar servers since the restaurant opened 25 years ago," citing incidents in which Corden was allegedly "nasty" to a manager and yelled "like crazy" at a server. Just hours later, McNally said Corden called him and "apologized profusely," leading him to lift the ban.
Despite this, Corden was not apologetic while speaking to the Times, calling the topic "such a silly thing to talk about" and something that only a small portion of the population is aware of.
"Should we not all be a little grown-up about this?" Corden said. "I promise you, ask around this restaurant. They don't know about this. Maybe 15 percent 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."
These comments to the Times led McNally to slam Corden on Instagram yet again after previously saying all was forgiven. "I wish James Corden would live up to his Almighty initials and come clean," McNally wrote, adding, "If he goes one step further and apologizes to the 2 servers he insulted, I'll let him eat for free at Balthazar for the next 10 years."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
How to do the 75 Hard trend the soft way
The Week Recommends The 75 Soft Challenge might be more your speed if you're trying to hit a soft reset
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Rep. Sylvester Turner dies, weeks after joining House
Speed Read The former Houston mayor and longtime state legislator left behind a final message for Trump: 'Don't mess with Medicaid'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published