James Corden apologizes for ‘rude comment’ that led to restaurant ban: ‘It was wrong’

James Corden opened his talk show Monday night with an apology, saying his behavior that led to a brief ban from famed New York restaurant Balthazar last week was “wrong.”

The apology came days after Corden, 44, dismissed the drama surrounding the brief ban as “silly” and insisted he had not done anything wrong.

On Monday’s episode of “The Late Late Show,” however, the star backtracked and acknowledged that he had made a “rude comment” to a server at Balthazar.

“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 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,” Corden said. “It was an unnecessary comment. It was ungracious to the server.”

Corden explained that he had made the comment after his wife was repeatedly given “food she was allergic to,” despite warning the restaurant of her food allergy. He said when the meal came back “wrong to the table the third time, in the heat of the moment, I made a sarcastic comment about cooking it myself.”

“It is a comment I deeply regret,” he said.

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The comedian and television host was barred from dining at the renowned eatery after being accused of “abusive” behavior toward staff, Balthazar owner Keith McNally said last week in an Instagram post. Hours later, McNally rescinded the ban, saying Corden had called him and “apologized profusely.”

Corden confirmed in his Monday monologue that he had called McNally “straight away and I told him how upset I was … that anybody was hurt by anything that I had done and anything that I had said.”

“We had a good talk. He appreciated the call,” Corden said. “I was happy that we got to clear the air and I felt like we dealt with it privately. But by this point, the story was out there and, well, people were upset.”

The talk show host also addressed why he had waited a full week to apologize.

“Whenever these sorts of moments come my way, I like to adopt, you know, quite a British attitude of sort of, you know, ‘keep calm and carry on’,” Corden stated. “Never complain, never explain. It’s 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.’ Look, when you make a mistake, you’ve got to take responsibility.”

Despite the controversy, Corden praised Balthazar, saying: “I love that restaurant. I love the staff there.” He said he hoped he would be welcomed back to Balthazar next time he’s in NYC so he could make his apologies in person.