James Corden apologized but now calls restaurant ban ‘silly’ and denies bad behavior.
Actor James Corden has apologized for calling a restaurant that refused him a “banana restaurant” and has said it was “silly” of him to imply the ban was racist.
But his comments on Facebook have earned him a backlash, not least of which from the actor himself. His Facebook page was briefly suspended last week after images of him in a white sheet emerged, with the post showing him on the floor wrapped in a blanket. Corden also said in a statement that he was “very sorry for any offense this post caused” and that he hoped his comments would be constructive or at least “inoffensive.”
Corden is the most prominent public figure to come out in support of a restaurant owner over the anti-gay ordinance in North Carolina. The comedian also took the opportunity to apologize for his initial post, which he said in a Facebook statement: “It was a poor choice of words, totally unprofessional and insensitive. I would never suggest that anyone think the opposite is possible, even in jest, just as I would never suggest that people think the world is flat.”
But now his critics are demanding an apology, arguing that his views have caused offense. He told CBS late Wednesday that he was “sincere in my apologies” for his initial post. But the comedian also rejected the idea that his comments came from homophobia, telling Yahoo: “I’ve not had a gay friend in 20+ years, and when I did, never once did I consider them a ‘lifer.’ What I am really guilty of is being a hypocrite. I’m a hypocrite for supporting gay rights, and I am also a hypocrite because I’m a hypocrite for not being a hypocrite.”
His first comments were about a diner in Oregon who refused to serve a lesbian couple. He used racial stereotypes as a comparison, calling the customers a “homogenous” bunch who were “not very bright” and saying that he knew the owner of the restaurant.
The boycott was spurred by local activists in nearby Salem. The ordinance
