You’re not out of the woods yet, James Corden. The embattled talk show host has not had it easy lately, and after some major restaurant drama with Balthazar owner Keith McNally, Corden is in the hot seat again after Mel B named him one of the “biggest dickheads” she’s ever met in the industry.
The Spice Girl made her bold claim while appearing on today’s episode of the British talk show, The Big Narstie Show. When prompted by the host to spill who’s on her list, the Spice Girl singer answered, “So, there’s a few. James Corden, Geri Halliwell, Jessie J and me,” per Entertainment Tonight.
Mel B gave more insight into her beef with Corden, adding, “I think you always have to be nice to the people that you work with whether it be production, camera guys, sound, lighting.”
She continued, “We all work for the same thing, so you should always be nice, and he hasn’t been very nice.” The former America’s Got Talent judge did not further clarify her comments, however, ET noted that she made a guest appearance on an episode of Corden’s The Late Late Show in 2018.
Corden, who has been hosting the late night program since 2014, announced his departure earlier this year, saying he didn’t want his show to “overstay its welcome in any way.” He is expected to exit the show in 2023. He has, luckily, avoided being the subject of a workplace scandal (unlike Ellen Degeneres) as his current and former staff have not gone on record about unfair treatment.
On the contrary, in 2020, Vulture reported that he was personally covering the paychecks for around 60 workers who were furloughed during the pandemic.
But, that doesn’t mean he has a sparkling track record with others. In October, he ended his feud with McNally after the restauranteur went public on Instagram with Corden’s alleged “abusive behavior” at this restaurant, which involved harassing his staff and demanding free drinks.
On an episode of his talk show, Corden admitted to making “a rude comment” and added, “I worked shifts at restaurants for years. I have such respect, and I value anyone that does such a job.”
So, either Corden’s employees have super-thick NDAs or he’s truly living a double-life because something’s not adding up.
