James Corden NY restaurant drama: Curtis Stone defends TV host as latter addresses Balthazar controversy

Celebrity chef Curtis Stone defended James Corden, who recently came under scrutiny as news of him being a less-than-ideal customer at restaurants surfaced. The controversy started when restaurant mogul Keith McNally took to social media to call out The Late Late Show host's terrible behavior at his New York restaurant, Balthazar.

Keith McNally called Corden out in an Instagram post. He called the comedian "a tiny Cretin of a man," and "the most abusive customer" to his servers in the restaurant's history. McNally shared two instances where the British Comedian was "nasty" to his manager and servers. He added that he "86'd Corden."

Expand Tweet

In an interview with The New York Times on October 20, 2022, for his Prime Video series Mammals, James Corden called the incident "insane." He added,

"I haven't done anything wrong on any level...I feel so Zen about the whole thing. Because I think it's so silly... I just think it's beneath all of us. It's beneath you. It's certainly beneath your publication."

Celeb chef Curtis Stone defends James Corden

While the internet at large agreed with McNally that James Corden behaved poorly at his restaurant, Curtis Stone has a different perspective. In an interview with TMZ, he called him a "great customer," stating,

"I'm surprised, James Corden has always been an absolute gentleman in our restaurants."

The TV chef further stated that James Corden has always been a "lovely guest," and "kind" and "friendly" to the staff at his restaurant. When asked if it was in poor taste to out a guest, he stated,

"We never talk about our guests... it's a little off color."

The Australian-born chef and restaurateur further added,

"We're in the hospitality business so we create special moments for people, whether they're celebrating or getting together with people they love and care about. Sometimes they (guests) have a lot of fun and sometimes they behave a little crazy, we make a safe space for 'em."

Curtis Stone co-hosted Surfing the Menu in 2003

Curtis stone is an Australian-born chef, restaurateur, and author who is based in the United States. He worked with his childhood hero Marco Pierre White in London, soon rising in the ranks. He was featured in a book about London’s finest chefs, which earned him appearances on British Daytime TV and an opportunity in 2003 to co-host the first three seasons of Surfing the Menu, a culinary travel show based in Australia.

The show's success made Stone a celebrity and he spent the next decade working as a TV chef. In 2014, he opened his first restaurant, Maude, in Los Angeles. He has also written several cookbooks and has his own line of cookware called Kitchen Solutions.

McNally responded to James Corden's NYT interview

After the comedian's interview with the New York Times, Keith McNally again called out Corden for his comments.

"Was he joking? Or was he denying being abusive to my servers? Whatever Corden meant, his implication was clear: he didn’t do it."

Interestingly, the New York restaurateur had earlier revoked the comedian's ban after Corden apologized to him. McNally added that the comedian "apologized profusely," further stating that he believed in "second chances" and that "all is forgiven" through his Instagram post. In another post he says he's "feeling strange" after calling out James Corden, adding,

"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..."

McNally said that if Corden apologized to his servers, he'd eat at Balthazar for free for the next 10 years.