The New York City restaurateur who criticized James Corden’s recent behavior in his eatery is not pleased with “The Late Late Show” host’s public comments about the debacle.
On Friday, Keith McNally doubled down on his criticism of Corden. He even promised the comedian free meals under the condition he apologizes to the two servers from his restaurant, Balthazar.
“If the supremely talented actor wants to retrieve the respect he had from all his fans (all four of them) before this incident, then he should at least admit he did wrong,” McNally wrote on Instagram. “If he goes one step further and apologizes to the [two] servers he insulted, I’ll let him eat for free at Balthazar for the next 10 years.”
McNally’s post was in response to Corden’s remarks about the incident in a New York Times article published on Thursday.
Corden addressed McNally’s accusations that he was “abusive” to Balthazar wait staff after encountering issues with his food order. The comedian told The New York Times that the claims were “silly” and not worth giving the time of day.
“I haven’t done anything wrong, on any level,” he said, adding, “I just think it’s beneath all of us. It’s beneath you. It’s certainly beneath your publication.”
McNally, who often shares controversial views on social media, disputed Corden’s assertion that he didn’t do anything wrong.
“Whatever Corden meant, his implication was clear: He didn’t do it,” he wrote. “Although I didn’t witness the incident, lots of my restaurant’s floor staff did. They had nothing to gain by lying. Corden did.”
Dia Dipasupil via Getty Images
The restaurateur’s public remarks about Corden have taken a few turns this week.
McNally announced on Instagram Monday that he banned Corden from his establishment after learning about his behavior. He then claimed later that night that Corden had “apologized profusely” and that he forgave him and rescinded the ban.
Corden did not tell the Times whether or not he apologized. He said he’ll probably address the fiasco during his show on Monday.
“My feeling, often, is, never explain, never complain,” he said. “But I’ll probably have to talk about it.”
