James Corden Could See 'Lasting Stain' on Reputation Despite Quick Apology

James Corden risks his image being permanently tainted, reputation experts have warned, despite the Brit issuing a rapid apology after getting banned from a New York restaurant for alleged "abusive" behavior toward staff.

The host of The Late Late Show With James Corden, 44, made headlines on Monday, when restaurateur Keith McNally revealed that he had banned Corden from his SoHo eatery Balthazar after staff complaints.

In an Instagram post, McNally called fellow Briton Corden a "tiny Cretin of a man. And the most abusive customer to my Balthazar servers since the restaurant opened 25 years ago. I don't often 86 a customer, [but] today I 86'd Corden. It did not make me laugh."

McNally went on to give two examples of alleged unpleasant behavior from Corden. Several hours after his initial post, McNally returned to Instagram to state that the ban had been lifted after Corden called him and "apologized profusely."

Still, the PR damage appeared to have been done, as several social media users shared their own allegations of unpleasant encounters with Corden in Twitter posts that have gone viral.

Kelcey Kintner, senior VP of international crisis PR agency Red Banyan, tells Newsweek that while it is yet to be seen what overall effect the fallout will have on Corden's image, the speed of his actions helped greatly.

"James Corden did something very smart. He apologized quickly, and he apparently didn't make excuses," Kintner said. "He must have been quite sincere because he was almost immediately welcomed back to Balthazar. In contrast, a watered down apology, or a late to arrive apology will often make things worse. It can drag out the press story for days, and never really repairs the damage."

However, one factor that was outside of Corden's control in the aftermath was the onslaught of negative comments about the star—criticisms that have been lingering in the social media space for several years.

Should such claims persist, Kintner told Newsweek that it would be wise for Corden to publicly address it in a bid to make amends.

"It's hard to know if this will have a lasting stain on his reputation, because we don't know yet just how many negative personal stories and anecdotes are out there about Corden," Kintner said. "Some have definitely popped up on social media and if it becomes an avalanche, he will need to publicly address it.

"Corden will need to admit that he could have and should have treated people with more kindness and that's on him. It will be important to take ownership of whatever part he has played. We are human, and no one is perfect by any means.

"That type of humility and honesty is something we can all connect with and understand. He would need to do this quickly so the story doesn't go on and on. Then the negative narrative takes hold and is very hard to recover from."

Eric Schiffer, chairman of Los Angeles-based firm Reputation Management Consultants, agrees with Kintner on the speed of Corden's apology quickly, though he believes the TV personality's reputation is already unsalvageable.

"He should have apologized publicly for his behavior while addressing the disturbing pattern of other stories about him acting similarly toward average Americans," Schiffer tells Newsweek.

Schiffer added that the Balthazar fallout is now "a lasting stain on [Corden's] reputation," particularly as it appears he won't face any action for the alleged incident after his ban was so quickly lifted.

"It will hurt him with brand deals and opportunities," Schiffer predicted.

While Schiffer noted that Corden's apology was "the first step," he added that the "real way to change the narrative is to show he is getting help with the root of what's driving" his alleged behavior.

The PR nightmare that Corden is facing is not dissimilar to the criticism endured by former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

DeGeneres' image took a hit in July 2020, when Buzzfeed News published an article in which numerous allegations were made about her show being a toxic work environment behind the scenes. She was also criticized by certain celebrities.

In a segment at the start of season 18 of the show in September 2020, DeGeneres said of the reports: "I learned that things happen here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously. And I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected."

Kintner told Newsweek that Corden's Balthazar scandal may well have captured the public's attention because it centers a celebrity known for exuding a fun-loving persona.

"Viewers think of him as such a nice, sweet guy," she said. "That persona shines through on his show. So it's extremely jarring and really shocking to think of him as anything but friendly, considerate and jovial.

"It's very similar to how many people felt about Ellen DeGeneres when negative stories came out about her. But James Corden has endeared himself to many, many fans. He can very likely bounce back from this if he handles it in the right way."

Newsweek has reached out to a representative of Corden for comment.

Update 10/19/2022 11:15 a.m.: This story has been updated with additional information.