James Corden is a man who divides opinion, shall we way. The comedy series and musical star, most well-known for British sitcom Gavin and Stacy and The Late Late Show with James Corden, is bit like Marmite: you either love him or you hate him. Many have been expressing the latter, following his banning from a popular New York City restuarant.
Keith McNally, owner of Balthazar in New York, made an Instagram post on October 17 stating that he’d banned Corden for being “the most abusive customer” his staff had ever encounter. He outlined two incidents where Corden made complaints about his food and was generally “nasty to the server”. This post caught fire, since McNally has a large following on Instagram, and as word spread, apparently Corden got in touch with the restauranteur to make amends.
“James Corden just called me and apologised profusely. Having fucked up myself more than most people, I strongly believe in second chances,” McNally wrote in a follow-up post. “Anyone magnanimous enough to apologize to a deadbeat layabout like me (and my staff) doesn’t deserve to be banned from anywhere. Especially Balthazar.”
All appears to be forgiven, but the internet doesn’t forget. A wave of memes occurred on Twitter, featuring many companies stating that Corden is now banned from the premises or service.
Ryanair has forbidden Corden from its flights, and the Nebraska Human Society has banned him. Glasgow drinkeries The Cathouse and The Hug and Pint have also laid down the law, and he shouldn’t send any DMs to Shit London Guinness because the account won’t be having it.
This is all in jest, of course, but it perhaps says something that so many would be quick to make sure Corden didn’t darken their doorstep. If you’d like to figure out why, you can find him in 2019 fantasy movie Cats on Amazon Prime Video. Get yourself a free trial here.