Could serving a single omelet ever have so completely ruined a man’s career?
Because it’s getting harder and harder for the great comedian James Corden to overestimate the impact of a now-famous row between him and the wait staff at a swanky Manhattan eatery when – horrors! – the omelette was apparently served incorrectly.
The initial outcry last year sparked a slew of allegations about the star’s past misconduct. quick-tempered character.
It seemed to have calmed down. But this week, director Craig Duncan, who worked with Corden on a British game show in 2013, fanned the flames by launching a particularly personal attack on the comedian.
Duncan called him the “toughest and most annoying presenter” he’s ever worked with. Corden, he claimed, cursed at the staff on set and called Duncan “stupid.”
“I hope I never work with it [James] again,’ Duncan added.
Corden’s team has so far remained silent on the claims, which came just six months after Corden was banned from New York City’s Balthazar restaurant following the omelette incident.
James Corden moved to the US in 2015 to take over as host of The Late Late Show
Corden and his wife Julia Carey bought a sprawling $10 million mansion in California in 2017
Director Craig Duncan said Corden is the “toughest and most annoying presenter” he’s ever worked with
He had apparently become enraged after his wife ordered a $25 egg omelet and found “a little bit of protein” in it. In another incident, he was said to have been “extremely nasty” when he demanded free drinks from the fancy restaurant.
Owner Keith McNally labeled him an “abusive…little idiot of a man.”
To make matters worse, a source who previously worked for Corden on The Late Late Show has spoken exclusively to DailyMail.com and provided their own account of the star’s prickly off-screen personality.
“James has dug his grave and he can cry all he wants, but he did this to himself,” the source said. “His staff has stood behind him for so long, but it got very old. His ego was exaggerated and he really believed he was untouchable.’
‘It’s not sad. It’s karma. A lot of people left his shows because he didn’t treat people the way they deserved to be treated,” the former staffer added.
Asked about potential damage to Corden’s career, the source said, “He’s not going to be ruined by this, but he really should disappear for a while. He is an extraordinarily talented man [but] he’s being served a huge dose of reality and hopefully this will teach him a lesson in humility. James needs to take time off seriously and focus on his family.”
Surely the pressure of this growing row must be a far cry from the gilded life to which the star, who has amassed a fortune of $40 million, has become accustomed to.
Corden and David Beckham had dinner together last year at an event in Florida
Corden and singer Taylor Swift party together at the Universal Music Brits Party in London in 2013
Starting out in theatre, Corden’s breathtaking role in a 2006 film adaptation of Alan Bennett’s play The History Boys saw him eventually secure his own hit BBC sitcom, Gavin & Stacey, at just 28 years old.
The show turned out to be a resounding success, earning him awards and earning him his status as a household name in the UK – And eventually, his move across the pond accelerated in 2015, along with wife Julia Carey and their three children.
His American appeal took off when he began hosting the hit late-night talk show The Late Late Show in 2015, thanks in large part to his “Carpool Karaokes” that he rode around singing with top stars from Justin Bieber and Adele to Michelle Obama and Paul McCartney.
In 2018, his meteoric rise to greatness seemed all but complete: He got on the invite list to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s spring wedding and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Oprah Winfrey, the Beckhams, and the Clooneys.
Three years later, he landed the Duke of Sussex’s first interview after his dramatic departure from royal life.
Predictably, Harry used the interview — atop a double-decker bus touring Los Angeles — to launch an attack on the “toxic” British press, accusing the media of “destroying his sanity.”
Corden is often coy about his accomplishments. “Many people are baffled that I got this job, but no one more than me, believe me. It’s terrifying,” he said in an interview after getting the gig from The Late Late Show.
In 2021, the comedian got Prince Harry’s first interview after dramatically stepping away from royal life
Former First Lady Michelle Obama is one of many star guests who have appeared on Corden’s ‘Carpool Karaoke’ segment on The Late Late Show
On The Late Late Show, Corden did “Carpool Karaokes” with top stars like Justin Bieber and Adele (pictured)
“What are the chances that a chubby man—and I’m being generous—who goes to America and hosts a talk show every night is anything but a complete mistake?” he said in another.
But the gamble clearly paid off. In addition to purchasing an $8.4 million home in Britain, Corden and his wife bought a sprawling $10 million mansion in California in 2017, complete with a wood-paneled library, private gym and proudly Reese Witherspoon among its A-lister neighbors.
He lost a whopping 84 pounds, took his kids to playdates at Harry and Meghan’s house in Montecito, schmoozed with Orlando Bloom at cocktail parties, dined out with David Beckham — even hosted the Tony Awards And has bagged herself 12 Emmys along the way.
There was, of course, his much-mocked cameo alongside Taylor Swift in the 2019 movie Cats, which was seen as a flop by critics. But mostly it was smooth sailing for Hollywood’s new “Mr Nice Guy.”
And then suddenly came the Balthazar incident last October. Corden eventually apologized, saying, “I made a rude comment, and it was wrong,” and perhaps hoped it would all blow over.
But the exact opposite happened: the news opened the floodgates to revelations of Corden’s past misdeeds.
Images resurfaced of him and his fellow British actor Patrick Stewart getting into a nasty fight at an awards ceremony back in 2010.
Corden and actor Orlando Bloom party together in 2015 in Los Angeles, California
Last year, footage surfaced of Corden and fellow British actor Patrick Stewart getting into a nasty fight at an awards ceremony in 2010
Corden, announcing an award along with Stewart, snapped “damn it, get on with it” and tastelessly joked that his older counterpart was “dying.”
He knew he had crossed the line and confided to a friend after the show that he was “worried” about how he might be seen. Indeed, the event may have been part of what led him to admit in his 2011 memoir that he had a “huge sense of entitlement” and was “brattish” in the past.
But then, in 2017, he was once again embroiled in a scandal on stage. Corden hosted a charity gala in LA and was condemned on social media for a joke that appeared to cover up sexual assault.
Groans erupted from the audience as Corden said the night was “so beautiful,” Harvey Weinstein has already asked [it] to his hotel to give him a massage.”
The comedian was later forced to apologize publicly.
Last year, he announced he would be leaving The Late Late Show this spring to return to the UK after eight years in the US. He claimed at the time that he just missed his country and family and that he “didn’t want his welcome to last too long.”
His departure will surely mark the end of his quest for world domination – and perhaps an inevitable setback in his impressive career.
One thing is certain, if the allegations against him are true, they probably won’t be the last of their kind. And who will have the last laugh?