The James Corden/Balthazar situation may have found a resolution. The Cats star and outgoing late-night funnyman has been dragged for his reported behavior regarding an egg-yolk omelette. This all began when famed New York restauranteur Keith McNally issued a public statement to the effect of banning the “tiny cretin” for being the “most abusive customer” that has ever graced a chair in Balthazar. This apparently led to a private apology, to which McNally was good with acknowledging bygones, and then Corden told the New York Times‘ Dave Itzkoff that “I haven’t done anything wrong, on any level” while also suggesting that this is a “silly” subject that is “beneath all of us.”
McNally then issued another statement to call Corden a liar (and demanded an apology to the Balthazar staff), and on Monday night, Corden publicly addressed the matter for the first time from the stage of The Late Late Show With James Corden. He didn’t waste any time (as you can see above) broaching the subject and explained his lack of public response as this: “Whenever these sorts of moments come my way, I like to adopt quite a British attitude.” He added, “Never complain, never explain. It’s very much my motto.”
Corden continued to discuss the situation while explaining that he reacted “in the heat of the moment” due to his wife being allergic to a dish that had accidentally landed at his table. The host admitted that he “made a sarcastic, rude comment about cooking it myself.” And from there, “It’s a comment I deeply regret.” Corden called his own behavior “rude” and “ungracious,” and here’s more:
“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 have been walking around thinking that 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 further explained that he adores Balthazar, including “the food, the vibe, the service,” and as noted above, he denies having screamed at the server (it was previously reported that he yelled, “Maybe I should go into the kitchen and cook the omelette myself!”). Ideally from there, peace can be achieved, although the egg-yolk omelette detail remains a head scratcher.