James Corden's Character Takes Another Hit, Director Names Him 'Most Difficult & Obnoxious Presenter'

From beloved TV host to Villain! James Corden's reputation continues to plummet.

The renowned entertainer, best known as the host of "The Late Late Show," recently became the target of media outrage. The backlash began after a famous restaurateur accused him of displaying horrible manners towards his employees in 2022.

The controversy surrounding the British icon has skyrocketed following accusations from Craig Duncan, a fellow entertainment industry member. What transpired between the director and the celebrated comedian? Keep reading to find out!

As shared on his YouTube channel, Duncan's encounter with the allegedly rude Corden occurred in 2013. According to the "Fludded" host, the duo met on the set of the competition series "A League of Their Own."

The media personality was tasked with directing a Masterchef-style challenge outside the studio, featuring the "Into The Woods" star alongside other comedians. Recalling the episode, the Scotland native said: "The most difficult and obnoxious presenter I have ever worked with was James Corden."

Duncan revealed that when the entertainer's production company offered the gig, his colleagues warned him about the "One Chance" actor's "difficult" behavior. Despite previously working with a "prima donna opera singer," the media personality was not prepared for Corden's character.

Following an invitation to watch the show's rehearsal, the director was shocked when Corden's mood turned sour while reading a card. Recalling the moment, the director said: "[There was] kind of a joke in there, and he just looked at it like, 'That's not funny, that's not funny. It's shit. We have to rewrite that.'"

Thinking the British entertainer's outburst was caused by a bad day, the TV producer accepted the offer to film the episode. Unfortunately, the situation worsened as the father-of-three caused a tense atmosphere on set.

"We were working it out," Duncan explained. "When old bugger-lugs pipes up, 'What the fuck is happening here? It's obvious what you do. It's so obvious how you shoot it; you're stupid.'"

Trying to ease the tension, the director agreed with Corden and convinced his team to follow his instructions. Despite choosing the peaceful route, the director noted that the "Gavin and Stacey" star continued to make filming difficult.

Explaining that they only needed five minutes for the shoot, the Londoner returned to the studio 45 minutes late. Duncan's claims came months after Keith McNally's restaurant story.

As shared by The Blast, the famous restaurateur accused the "Peter Rabbit" star of being the "most abusive" customer to his Balthazar servers in the food chain's 25-year history. In his Instagram rant, the British entrepreneur explained that Corden had displayed his horrible behavior twice.

The first incident occurred in June when the 44-year-old was "nasty" to the restaurant's manager after finding hair in his food. In the second incident, the comedian visited the restaurant for brunch with his wife, Julia Carey. However, things got heated after Corden reportedly yelled at the server for making mistakes with his wife's order of egg yolk omelet.

In the wake of McNally's accusations, fans were greatly disappointed by the Hollywood sensation's actions. However, the "Carpool Karaoke" host tried to salvage his name by claiming he did "nothing wrong."

"I haven't done anything wrong on any level. So why would I ever cancel this? I was there. I get it," the late-night talk show host said in the interview with the New York Times, adding, "I feel so Zen about the whole thing. Because I think it's so silly."

In response to the talk show host's statement, the restaurateur accused him of lying in an intense rant. He wrote, "I've no wish to kick a man when he's down. Especially one worth $100 Million, but when James Corden said in yesterday's NY Times that he hadn't done 'anything wrong, on any level,' was he joking?"

He added, "Or was he denying being abusive to my servers? Whatever Corden meant, his implication was clear: he didn't do it." McNally then offered to let Corden "eat for free at Balthazar for the next ten years" if he acknowledged his mistakes.

Last November,  the 44-year-old got embroiled in another controversy after he was dragged on social media platforms for plagiarism. During an episode of "The Late Late Show," the Londoner delivered a joke about guitar lessons.

However, the comedic material spawned from the same joke Ricky Gervais delivered in 2018. Corden similarly told the gag using the comedian's unique mannerisms. In a since-deleted tweet, "The Office" star commented on the similarities between the sketches.

This message caused a fan to inquire if the talk show host had asked for permission to use his material. However, Gervais revealed that never happened, noting that Corden was probably not responsible for plagiarism.

"No. I reckon one of the writers' came up with it' for him. I doubt he would knowingly copy such a famous stand-up routine word for word like that," the entertainer tweeted.

Once the story reached the British icon, the father-of-three apologized for the error while giving Gervais a special shout-out. Corden's tweet read: "Inadvertently told a brilliant Ricky Gervais joke on the show last night, obviously not knowing it came from him. It's brilliant because it's a Ricky Gervais joke."