James Corden banned from posh NYC restaurant Balthazar for 'abusing' staff

Television host and actor James Corden has been banned by the owner of a New York City restaurant for “abusing” staff.

Keith McNally, the owner of some of the city’s most popular eateries, on Monday announced he was banning James Corden from his restaurant Balthazar after proving himself to be “the most abusive customer” since the restaurant opened 25 years ago.

Corden ate at Balthazar on October 9, and when the kitchen made a mistake with a dish, McNally alleges he began to yell at the server, saying: “You can’t do your job! You can’t do your job! Maybe I should go into the kitchen and cook the omelette myself!”

In an Instagram post, McNally also pointed to a previous incident, in June 2022, when Corden found a hair in his food.

After the dish had been remade, he allegedly told servers: “Get us another round of drinks this second. And also take care of all of our drinks so far. This way, I [don’t] write any nasty reviews [on] yelp or anything like that.”

However, hours after his initial post, McNally updated his followers saying he had received a call from Corden apologising for his behaviour earlier in the month.

He wrote: “James Corden just called me and apologized profusely. Having f***** up myself more than most people, I strongly believe in second chances.

“So if James Corden lets me host his Late Late Show for 9 months, I’ll immediately rescind his ban from Balthazar.

“No, of course not. But….anyone magnanimous enough to apologize to a deadbeat layabout like me (and my staff) doesn’t deserve to be banned from anywhere. Especially Balthazar. So Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Corden, Jimmy Corden. All is Forgiven. xx”

Corden announced in April that he was stepping down as the host of The Late Late Show in the US.

He is said to have extended his contract with CBS to present the show for one more year before finishing in the summer of 2023.