James Corden, who was accused of ruining the Friends reunion, has been accused of airing a ‘racist’ segment on The Late Late Show.
The English actor and comedian has been criticised by California resident Kim Saira for mocking Asian foods in the show’s game ‘Spill Your Guts’.
In a chat with TODAY Food, the 24-year-old said: “I noticed that one of the foods he presented to someone was a balut [a fertilised duck egg] and balut is like, very specific to Filipino culture.
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“It’s a food that I have been eating whenever I go to the Philippines with my grandma and my cousins, so it’s a very sentimental food for me, and I noticed that he was presenting it to a guest and calling it gross.”
She added: “I was just so confused and I feel like it was a moment for me just being like, ‘Oh my gosh, like, this is my culture. I don’t understand why he’s making fun of it’.”
Saira says that the segment offended her so much that she will no longer be watching the show.
“They’re calling Asian food disgusting on live TV,” she fumed in a TikTok video. “Huh. This is literally racist. This is so disrespectful.”
@kimssairaok but this is actual Asian food & youre going on live tv telling people how gross it is. thats cringe♬ original sound – Kim Saira
The influencer’s social media post has now gone viral and she’s launched a Change.org petition.
Saira’s appeal is requesting that Corden ‘completely change the food presented on his show,’ or ‘remove the segment entirely’. She also wants him to issue a formal apology on The Late Late Show and make a donation to ‘Asian-owned restaurants and small businesses’.
In the petition, the influencer wrote: “In the wake of the constant Asian hate crimes that have continuously been occurring, not only is this segment incredibly culturally offensive and insensitive, but it also encourages anti-Asian racism.
“So many Asian Americans are consistently bullied and mocked for their native foods, and this segment amplifies and encourages it.”
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