James Corden has addressed the criticism of his segment from the “Late Late Show,” as a video claiming the show’s portrayal of Asian foods was offensive went viral and led to an online petition signed by thousands and a protest outside of his studio.
He discussed the controversy in an episode of SiriusXM’s “The Howard Stern Show” from June 16. A petition calling for the segment’s removal claimed that the show’s portrayal of Asian foods as ”disgusting” and “horrifying” was “encouraging anti-Asian racism,” NextShark previously reported.
Corden’s comment: “We absolutely won’t involve or use any of those foods,” he said, adding that his talk show is “about joy and light and love.”
- “It’s not for us to decide whether somebody is upset or hurt about something,” he responded to Stern, who asked whether people were being “too sensitive.”
- “All we can do is go ‘alright, we get it, we hear you, we won’t do that,” Corden said.
The protest: Social influencer Kim Saira, who created the petition to remove James Corden’s “Spill Your Guts” segment, organized a protest during Corden’s live taping outside of his studio at the CBS Television City building on June 24.
- Around 60 people showed up, according to Saira’s Instagram post.
- The protestors attempted to deliver a USB drive with the names of people who signed the petition to Corden inside the studio but were dismissed by CBS representatives standing outside.
- Attendees were treated to a meal from Rice Balls of Fire, a Korean fusion food truck, where they were able to choose between a sushi burrito and a rice bowl with bulgogi or chicken.
- Saira has expressed her disappointment in Corden’s statement, which she says isn’t an apology. “In my petition, I have specifically asked for James Corden to publicly apologize on his show, and the reason why I was really specific about that was because I think that it is imperative for his hundreds of thousands of viewers to understand the harm that mocking these foods, rooted in Asian cultures, has on Asian people who still eat them,” she said.
Featured Image via Andre Nuestro
