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The aftertaste of James Corden’s restaurant tantrum is lingering thanks to a late apology on his ‘The Late Late Show’ – no doubt with crossed fingers and an eye on the ratings.
So far all very predictable.
Nothing follows a dose of publicly shamed celebrity high-handedness like some equally public contrition – in Corden’s case, a monologue still peppered with gags and that rarely missing self-satisfied grin.
Having been branded by the owner of Manhattan restaurant Balthazar, Keith McNally, its rudest ever customer and slapped with a lifetime ban (since revoked post-apology) the comedian is trying to smooth the fall-out of some bad behavior.
It centered on two incidents: One in 2014, when a hair was found in his dish, and earlier this month, when egg white was spotted in his wife’s omelet.
Shocks that, according to staff, saw him ‘yelling like crazy,’ demanding free drinks and offering caustic comments about cooking the dish himself.
Of course, Corden’s recollection varies a little.
After a camera pan to show his parents dutifully sitting in the front row, Corden told viewers that while he ordinarily ‘never complains or explains’ – interestingly a motto famously associated with the Royal Family – he wished to clarify there was no screaming, shouting or bad language. Reframed dramatically around his wife’s ‘serious food allergy,’ he was simply upset and, regrettably, made a rude comment.
You see, he’s the victim here.
The undignified spat on stage with Patrick Stewart at a 2010 awards event (above) is a case point.
To be fair, when these types of situations unravel it can be easy to focus on the power imbalance between rich diner and not-so-rich server and forget that eating in an establishment charging $25 for an omelet or just shy of $30 for an eggs benedict inevitably does come with a certain expectation.
If you’re paying top dollar, you want the want food to be right and, as Corden said, himself: ‘People complain all the time, right?’
They do, but the issue with Corden is that he has simply too much form when it comes to this kind of man boy petulance to be cut any slack.
It all seems expected, the apology rather hollow, an episode indicative of wider behavior that has long suggested a chip on his shoulder as well his plate.
The undignified spat on stage with Patrick Stewart at a 2010 awards event is a case point.
Sir Patrick took issue with Corden, the show’s host, for appearing bored with his hands in his pockets.
Corden let loose, ‘Oh! You couldn’t be more wrong, sir. You couldn’t be more wrong. Genuinely. And if it looked like that, I’m so sorry. But when you come up and present an award, just f***ing get on with it.’
Yes, the Star Trek actor’s rebuke of Corden smacked of a condescending dad but Corden’s sweary response lacked class and revealed a prickly side.
And it makes the restaurant outburst more believable.
Indeed, even amongst the diva-like standards of his celebrity peers, his bullet-proof, self- love stands out, an ego that at times threatens to usurp his talents – and those are not insignificant.
The voice of ‘Peter Rabbit’ is versatile, creative and acts well but has simply never stopped believing the hype, and the more he hits the big time and revels in his success, so the contrasting sides of his personality become ever more acute.
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Like an over-excited court jester when mixing with A-listers on his show or at a royal wedding, it’s all an uneasy contrast with the treatment of those lower down the food chain.
This week, his ever-growing list of detractors included disgruntled former fans who had gone to a recording of ‘The Late Late Show’ and criticized his lack of engagement with the audience off-camera, citing a notable contrast to his affable persona on screen.
The same duplicity could be applied to many entertainment stars and it’s worth noting that ultimately, when in the studio, Corden is just doing a job.
Perhaps more telling of the arrogance is his treatment of those who work with him and whose talents help him to look good, win the plaudits and take the big paycheck.
For example: A resurfaced clip of a 2017 episode of his talk show where he was unable to name a single cameraman in his crew was telling, even more so his appearance at a Writers Guild Association meeting to allegedly advocate for lowering the pay of late-night writers.
Corden acknowledged being at the meeting, but denies he ever advocated for cutting anyone’s wages.
Though it was this incident which largely fuelled the barrage of abuse dished his way when he made a surprise appearance on Reddit’s Ask Me Anything thread to promote a special edition of his show only for fans to demand the return of former host Craig Ferguson.
Perhaps not all of this is entirely his fault.
Nothing follows a dose of publicly shamed celebrity high-handedness like some equally public contrition – in Corden’s case, a monologue still peppered with gags and that rarely missing self-satisfied grin.
After a camera pan to show his parents (above) dutifully sitting in the front row, Corden told viewers that while he ordinarily ‘never complains or explains’ – interestingly a motto famously associated with the Royal Family – he wished to clarify there was no screaming, shouting or bad language.
‘Gavin & Stacey,’ the smash hit sitcom he co-wrote and starred in that made him a UK household name and propelled him to international stardom, was good.
It arrived at a fallow time for British comedy and saw him fast-tracked to a national treasure status of sorts, all before he turned 30.
Yes, it was a hit for reason; it had a strong cast, it could raise a laugh – mostly from Corden’s character. But was it was never quite on a par with the brilliance of Ricky Gervais or John Cleese.
It all made for an unbearable smugness, which peaked in 2019 when, after briefly returning to blighty from the United States for a Christmas special of his show, he acted as a savior of the British festive TV schedule as ratings soared.
Yet in a sea of repeats and soaps it was simply light relief in choice of slim pickings.
With his chat show, the presenter has breathed life into a genre that has a long heritage but was in danger of becoming stale.
Inventive skits such as ‘Carpool Karaoke’ to toddler-run dance classes putting a guest celebrity through an array of poses and routines were entertaining, though with a huge pool of creatives at his disposal we don’t know where the actual ideas came from.
In common with other US talk shows, ratings are in decline and Corden will leave next year. It will be interesting to see what he does next – and if his star can stay shining brightly without the revolving door of famous faces on his sofa.
As his jovial schtick wears thin and apology ring hollow it looks for the time being – hairs and egg white aside – that James Corden has got enough on his plate just trying to rescue his reputation.
Caroline Bullock is a UK-based journalist
