James Corden branded a 'phony' by NY restaurant owner over 'fraudulent' apology
James Corden has been branded a "phony" by the owner of the New York restaurant for his "fraudulent" version of claims he bullied waiting staff.
Keith McNally, owner of popular French brasserie Balthazar made headlines when he announced on social media he had forgiven the Gavin And Stacey star after he apologised for shouting at a server for delivering an incorrect dish to his table.
Corden has now spoken publicly about the event both on The Late Late Show and in several media interviews.
Read more: Ricky Gervais spots James Corden repeating his joke 'word for word' on Late Late Show
But McNally has posted on Instagram: "I don't want to over-egg the pudding, but in Friday's London Times Corden flip-flopped and told a massive lie AGAIN: ' I never screamed at anyone, I didn’t shout, didn’t call anyone a name or swear or use derogatory language… How is it remotely a thing? When that person who posted the story wasn’t even there. '
"On second viewing, I found his TV 'confessional' contrived and phony. The actor will say anything to save his bacon.
Watch: James Corden said sorry for his alleged behaviour on his TV chat show
"In the scheme of things my opinion means nothing, but after Friday's interview and a second look at his fraudulent confessional, I've given up on James Corden. For Good. END OF STORY."
Corden, 44, told Caitlin Moran for The Times: "It’s been the most surreal moment. I mean, it’s so odd. I never screamed at anyone, I didn’t shout, didn’t call anyone a name or swear or use derogatory language. … How is it remotely a thing? And that be OK? And now it’s fact, and that’s that. When that person who posted the story wasn’t even there. Just so odd.”
After McNally's claims about him Corden addressed the issue on his CBS late night chat show, telling viewers that he "made a sarcastic, rude comment about cooking [the omelette] myself. And it is a comment I deeply regret.”
McNally originally announced on Instagram he had imposed a ban on Corden from his SoHo eatery for repeated rude behaviour towards his staff.
He then shared that he had overturned the ban as Corden had personally called him and "apologised profusely."
McNally had claimed: "James Corden is a Hugely gifted comedian, but a tiny Cretin of a man. And the most abusive customer to my Balthazar servers since the restaurant opened 25 years ago."
He then gave two examples of Corden's behaviour, including being "extremely nasty" to a manager when he found a hair in his food and demanding free drinks.
McNally claimed on a separate incident Corden sent back an egg yolk omelette served to his wife Julia Carey because it had egg white in it, and it was returned with fries instead of salad.
He said: "That's when James Corden began yelling like crazy to the server: 'You can't do your job! You can't do your job! Maybe I should go into the kitchen and cook the omelette myself!'"
Read more: James Corden admits he 'behaved like a brat' when he first became famous
Corden, who was born in Hillingdon in London, has been living in the US since he began hosting The Late Late Show since 2015.