James Corden’s Show “Spill Your Guts” Receives Criticism Over Insensitivity Toward Asian Cultures

The “Spill Your Guts” segment on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” is notorious for testing celebrities against complex foods to swallow — and brutal truths to divulge. However, some viewers have criticized the episode for being insensitive to specific cultures by suggesting that the featured delicacies, such as cow tongue and fish eyes, are “gross.”

Kim Saira, a TikTok user, had previously chastised Corden for being insensitive to Asian traditions via Insider. Her call to action prompted her to start a petition on Change.org, which now has over 44,000 signatures. Saira explained to Today, “I noticed that one of the foods that he presented to someone was balut (a fertilized duck egg that is boiled and eaten from the shell), and balut is like, very specific to Filipino culture.”

The celeb added, “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 to me, and I noticed that he was presenting it to a guest and calling it gross.” she said, “I was just so confused and I feel like it was a moment of me just being like, ‘Oh my gosh, like, this is my culture. I don’t understand why he’s making fun of it?‘”

Saira’s concerns were in response to a 2016 episode of “Spill Your Guts,” in which Corden and Jimmy Kimmel grill one other with probing questions while eating balut, among other “disgusting” and “horrific” dishes. On June 7, Saira posted a TikTok post, “They’re calling Asian food disgusting on live TV,” and added, “Huh. This is literally racist. this is so disrespectful wtf.”

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The artist also wrote in the Change.org petition, “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,” and also stated, “So many Asian Americans are consistently bullied and mocked for their native foods, and this segment amplifies and encourages it.“

According to a June 16 broadcast of “The Howard Stern Show,” Corden has promised to rework the segment. James said. “We heard that story, and the next time we do that bit we absolutely won’t involve or use any of those foods,” Corden also added, “As you said at the start, our show is a show about joy and light and love. We don’t want to make a show to upset anybody.”

Though Corden did not say how he planned to change “Spill Your Guts,” he did mention a 2017 performance with Anna Wintour as a possible remedy. “You know, look,” he explained, “In the same way that when we played it with Anna Wintour, we gave her a pizza covered in cheeseburgers. Do you know what I mean?“

Saira expressed her disappointment with Corden’s reaction in an email to Today. She said, “‘The Late Late Show’ did not reach out to me about this statement, I actually found out from another news source I was interviewing with.” Saira added, “After listening to what he said, to be completely honest with you, I’m really disappointed in this statement, which in my opinion, isn’t an apology.”

The actress also stated, “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.” 

Saira then expressed, “Besides that, I still think he should be donating to Asian organizations as well. I’m still looking forward to whether he will address this publicly and apologize.“

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