Restauranteur who banned James Corden says he now feels 'really sorry for him'

Haven’t you heard? U-turns are the flavour of the month – not just among members of the British government but also, apparently, high-profile restauranteurs.

No sooner had Balthazar, New York, owner Keith McNally publicly shamed James Corden for being “the most abusive customer” his staff had ever served than he decided he would reopen his doors to the Gavin and Stacey star.

On Monday, McNally announced he had banned the talk show host from dining at his famous Manhattan brasserie via a fiery Instagram post in which he lambasted the comedian as “a tiny cretin of a man”.

But in the second of two follow-up posts, he revealed that he now feels “really sorry” for the actor.

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“Feeling strange about the James Corden thing,” McNally wrote, alongside a photo of his daughter and her best friend.

“On the one hand, he was definitely abusive to my staff, on the other hand, I feel really sorry for him right now.”

“Like most cowards I want it both ways,” he added, before ending the post: “F*** it, I’m going to get drunk.”

The admission came just hours after the restauranteur told his 88,500 followers that Corden had called him and “apologized profusely” for his behaviour.

“Having f***ed up myself more than most people, I strongly believe in second chances,” McNally wrote.

He went on: “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.”

Whilst some commentators praised McNally for having stood up for his employees, others questioned why he now “felt sorry” for the ‘Late Late Show’ host.

“Why do you feel sorry for him? What you did was cool, it got a national conversation going about how people need to treat service staff well,” one wrote.

“I mean, he only apologised after all the big media houses started running the story. Says a lot,” added another.

Corden has previously spoken out about suffering anger issues, telling The New Yorker back in 2020 that the “first flush of fame” had intoxicated him and turned him into a “brat”. He told the magazine that he had sought therapy in a bid to better himself.

Two years on, many would argue that he’s still got some work to do.

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