Keith McNally admits he was 'drunk on power' while savaging 'tiny cretin' James Corden and banning him from his New York restaurant after presenter reduced server 'to tears' - as he reveals the real reason for his stinging public attack

Daily Mail​

01-05-2025

The New York restaurateur responsible for a blistering social media takedown of James Corden has admitted to having an ulterior motive for the public rebuke.
Balthazar owner Keith McNally won instant notoriety for sharing a post in which he condemned Corden's rude behaviour after the Gavin & Stacey reduced one of his waiting staff 'to tears' in 2022.
Labelling Corden 'a tiny Cretin of a man' and 'the most abusive customer to my Balthazar servers', the outspoken McNally, 74, became something of a cult hero for defending the rights of tip-dependent staff members.
But he has since admitted his motives for publicly highlighting the British star's problematic behaviour on Instagram were not as selfless as they initially seemed.
In an extract from his forthcoming memoir I Regret Almost Everything, McNally reveals he was also motivated by a desire to enhance his social media footprint after previously struggling to attract followers.
McNally won instant notoriety for sharing a post in which he condemned Corden's rude behaviour after the Gavin & Stacey reduced one of his waiting staff 'to tears' in 2022.
The telling admission - taken exclusively by People magazine from the Richard E. Grant narrated audiobook - finds McNally claiming he 'hit the jackpot' after his Instagram following dramatically escalated as the post went viral.
He also admitted to feeling an overwhelming sense of power over Corden, 46 - at the time host of The Late Late Show and a huge star in the United States - after the presenter pleaded with him to delete it.
He recalled: 'Corden called me four times the day the post came out, each time asking me to please delete it. On the last call he sounded desperate.
'Relishing my hold over someone so famous, I told him I wouldn't delete it. Like a little dictator, I was intoxicated with the power I'd received.'
He added: 'By exposing Corden's abuse, it appeared as though I was defending a principle, when all I was doing was seeking the approval of my young Balthazar staff.'
Despite blasting the presenter for abusing a server while visiting the restaurant with his wife Julia Carey, McNally admitted he hadn't witnessed the incident, instead relying on the testimony of his staff.
He recalled: 'For someone who's hyperconscious of humiliation since suffering a stroke, it now seems monstrous that I didn't consider the humiliation I was subjecting Corden to.
'Especially as I hadn't personally seen the incident I so vividly described on Instagram.''I'm not suggesting Corden didn't deserve the backlash from my post. (The b*****d probably did.)
'I'm just saying I didn't see the incident I wrote about that, to some degree, jeopardized his career.'
McNally originally banned Corden from his restaurant but then later reversed it after saying he had spoken to the actor on the phone.
He had told how Corden had been rude to his staff several times: berating them over a hair in his food and demanding free drinks during the summer.
The presenter was accused of furiously reprimanding the waiters over an omelette he was unhappy with during a trip to the restaurant on October 9, 2022.
Four hours after announcing the ban to his 87,000 Instagram followers, McNally promptly reversed it, saying he had received a call from Corden apologising.
The fiery restaurateur posted a photo captioned: 'With my daughter, Alice (in black) and her best friend, Margot Paisner, at Balthazar tonight.
'Feeling strange about the James Corden thing. 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 concluded: 'F*** it, I'm going to get drunk.'
The saga began when McNally, who has a colorful history of booting out celebrities from his exclusive restaurants, claimed Corden behaved badly at his former restaurant, Cafe Luxembourg, on several occasions and left one server 'shaken'.
He said: 'After eating his main course, Corden showed the hair to Balthazar manager G. who was very apologetic.
'Corden was extremely nasty to G, and said: 'Get us another round of drinks this second. And also take care of all of our drinks so far. This way I write any nasty reviews in yelp or anything like that.''
In a second incident McNally claims that Corden was dining with his wife, Julia Carey, at the eatery on October 9 for brunch.
He claimed that Corden asked for a table outside, and Carey ordered an egg yolk omelette with a salad.
The couple complained to the server that there was 'a little bit of egg white mixed with the egg yolk' and sent the dish back.
Four hours after announcing the ban to his 87,000 Instagram followers, McNally promptly reversed it, saying he had received a call from Corden apologising
McNally added: 'The kitchen remade the dish but unfortunately sent it with home fries instead of salad.
'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!
'M.K (server) was very apologetic and brought G. (floor manager) over to the table.
'He returned the dish, and after that, everything was fine. He gave them promo Champagne glasses to smooth things out.
'G. said that Corden was pleasant to him but nasty to the server. M.K. was very shaken, but professional that she is, continued to finish her shift.'