James Corden's 'Spill Your Guts' segment is facing criticism for being culturally insensitive
"Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts," a segment on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" is again being criticized for cultural insensitivity. (CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images/CNN)
Share
Balut is a dish that Kim Saira grew up eating with her grandmother and her cousins.
So when she first saw the Filipino street food snack featured a few years ago among a slate of purportedly unappetizing dishes on "Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts" -- a recurring segment on "The Late Late Show with James Corden," she was a little thrown off.
"I wasn't mad about it, but I was more so confused," Saira, a 24-year-old Filipina and Chinese American activist, said. "I was just wondering why they used a food that was so sentimental to my culture."
It wasn't just balut. Other episodes featured chicken feet, used in cuisines around the world; thousand-year-old eggs, a Chinese delicacy; and bird saliva, an ingredient Saira herself has eaten in soup.
The recent rise in hate and racism against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, though, got Saira thinking about "The Late Late Show" segment in a different light. She started questioning why it was still socially acceptable for Corden to present dishes routinely eaten by Asian people as "disgusting."
"If you don't like it, there's a way to be respectful about it," she added. "When a person who isn't involved in the culture whatsoever is adamantly profiting from it and showing it in a negative way, it's not right."
Earlier this month, Saira started a petition calling on Corden and "The Late Late Show" to make a change. As of Thursday, it has 41,000 signatures and counting.
'SPILL YOUR GUTS' REMOVES FOODS FROM THEIR CONTEXT
"Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts" is essentially a more extreme version of truth or dare.
In the segment, James Corden and his celebrity guests take turns choosing between answering an uncomfortable, personal question or eating one of several "disgusting" foods.
The foods in question range from dishes specific to various cuisines (chicken feet, cow tongue and bull penis) to concoctions with no obvious cultural significance (salmon smoothies, bug trifle and hot dog juice). Several of the foods have been featured in the segment more than once.
The game is premised on shock value, with Corden and his guests (who are rarely ever Asian Americans) wrinkling their noses and referring to the dishes as "disgusting," "horrifying" or simply, "ew." The dishes are usually prepared in ways that seem intentionally unappetizing, divorced of context, flavour and seasoning.
For the purposes of the game, that's likely the point. But for Saira and other critics, the problem is that ingredients eaten by millions around the world are even included in the lineup of "gross foods."
"It perpetuates this myth that Asian people are 'disgusting' or 'horrifying,' because he's taking foods that are so unfamiliar and telling other people that they're disgusting," she said. "It does perpetuate the cycle of anti-Asian racism."
Saira's petition calls on "The Late Late Show" to either modify the segment to remove foods that are rooted in other people's cultures or to get rid of it entirely. It also demands that Corden apologize publicly and donate to Asian American organizations.
A spokesperson for CBS, which airs the talk show, referred CNN to comments Corden made on "The Howard Stern Show" last week.
"The next time we do that bit, we absolutely won't involve or use any of those foods," Corden said in the June 16 interview, when asked about the recent criticism. "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."
Corden also noted that he didn't know when the segment would run again.
To Saira, though, the comedian's response fell short.
"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.
THE CRITICISM ISN'T NEW
Though Saira's petition is recent, "Spill Your Guts" has been criticized as culturally insensitive for a few years now.
Andrew Sun, a food columnist for the South China Morning Post, referred to the segment in a 2018 article as "cultural chauvinism of the highest order."
"I want to know which white, European epicurean arbiter decided that fattened duck or goose liver, which sounds better using its French name, foie gras, is gourmet and luxurious, but chicken gizzard and duck tongues are uncivilised and gruesome?" he wrote.
Krishnendu Ray, an associate professor of food studies at New York University, notes that despite their popularity, East Asian cuisines have long been mocked and considered inferior in the West to northern European cuisines from France, England and Germany -- a phenomenon he describes as "a history of domination and hierarchy of taste by race, class and ethnicity."
But in today's era, those same attitudes -- including those on "Spill Your Guts" -- seem out of touch, he added.
"It sounds idiotic and out of date at a time when the balance of power is changing in the world and demographic transition is on its way in the U.S.," Ray wrote in an email to CNN.
Writer Shirley Cahyadi raised questions about who determines what is considered inedible and who "The Late Late Show" caters to in a 2018 piece for Embodied, New York University's arts and culture magazine.
"The show commands an international audience as it's aired in countries such as India, Southeast Asia, France, Ireland, New Zealand and Finland, yet it fails to effectively take non-western perspectives into account," Cahyadi wrote. "Even if this segment was not born out of racist motives, the lack of initiative to branch out of the bubble of ignorance is just not good enough."
The issue goes beyond James Corden and "The Late Late Show."
Media has often presented Asian cuisines and foods as unsavory, unappetizing or unhealthy. Take, for example, the Travel Channel show "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern," which featured its host roaming the world sampling food considered gross, exotic or bizarre. A few years ago, Zimmern acknowledged that the show's early seasons had a cultural sensitivity problem.
Though complaints about exoticism have been bubbling up for a while, this moment of heightened awareness around anti-Asian racism seems to have brought it to a boiling point, Saira said.
"Now people are paying way more attention," she said.
ASIAN AMERICANS ARE FIGHTING FOR CHANGE
On Thursday, Saira and others who take issue with "Spill Your Guts" are holding an event in Los Angeles around the corner from where "The Late Late Show" films.
It's intended to bring together Asian Americans and allies who want to change how Asian cultures are portrayed in mainstream media and raise awareness of the "Spill Your Guts" issue, Saira said. And, fittingly, it will feature a Korean food truck.
To those who may not have grown up eating foods like balut or to those who find them unappealing, "Spill Your Guts" might seem like harmless fun.
But for Saira and others who are standing with her, food is personal -- and political.
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
Closing arguments were heard Thursday morning in the case of Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter in 2021 to keep her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) President Samantha Becotte says two days of "difficult" negotiations has led to a "final offer" with slight improvements to salary and the inclusion of a line in the collective agreement – promising to address classroom complexity issues.
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Closing arguments were heard Thursday morning in the case of Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter in 2021 to keep her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the minister of forestry and parks, Alberta is experiencing "heightened wildfire risk" this year, with 148 fires already extinguished and more still burning.
An Assyrian church bishop who was stabbed during a service at his church said on Thursday he was recovering quickly, and that he had forgiven his attacker as police ramped up investigation into the riots triggered after the bishop's stabbing.
Kenya's military chief, Francis Ogolla, died in a helicopter crash in the western part of the country on Thursday, President William Ruto announced in a televised address.
Nigerian soldiers rescued a woman who was abducted by extremists a decade ago while she was a schoolgirl in the village of Chibok, the army said Thursday. Her three children were also rescued.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
A moderately strong earthquake struck central Turkey on Thursday, the country’s disaster management agency said, causing damage to some buildings. There were no immediate reports of any deaths or serious injuries.
Reuters photographer Mohammed Salem captured this year's prestigious World Press Photo of the Year award Thursday with a depiction of loss and sorrow in Gaza, a heartrending photo of a Palestinian woman cradling the body of her young niece.
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized stringent new regulations on levels of six perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in public water systems. This explainer tells consumers what they can do right now to limit the levels of PFAS in their drinking water.
A Winnipeg man is raising a red flag after his landlord said no to health-care equipment that could change his life – a problem he believes is a human rights issue.
Facebook parent Meta Platforms unveiled a new set of artificial intelligence systems Thursday that are powering what CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls "the most intelligent AI assistant that you can freely use."
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
For the most part, Taylor Swift has kept a lot of details about the album close to the chest, but as cryptic as she’s been while rolling out her 11th studio album, there are still some things we can glean about 'The Tortured Poets Department' from Swift herself.
Nicki Minaj sent a message to her fans just after 11 p.m. explaining why she was not on stage at the Bell Centre for a show that was scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. It seems plane travel issues were to blame for the tardiness.
Solving a longstanding construction worker shortage will be key to boosting housing supply, experts say, as Canada's national housing agency continues to forecast housing start levels that fall short of growing demand.
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Google has fired 28 employees in the aftermath of protests over technology that the internet company is supplying the Israeli government amid the Gaza war, further escalating tensions surrounding a hot-button deal.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
The NFL draft will be offensive. We’re not talking about hurt feelings. This draft has the potential to set a record for most offensive players selected in the first round.
Tesla will ask shareholders to reinstate a US$55 billion compensation package for CEO Elon Musk that was rejected by a judge in Delaware this year and to move the electric car maker's corporate home from Delaware to Texas.
Tesla has hit a series of roadblocks, including increased competition and declining sales. The company announced Monday it is slashing 10 per cent of its global workforce.
A driver from London will have to find alternative transportation after an OPP officer clocked them travelling nearly 200 km/h on Highway 401 over the weekend.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
Large gatherings are the theme of the weekend in Metro Vancouver, with several big crowds expected to assemble for very different reasons. Here's what's happening.
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Gas prices jumped an average of 14 cents per litre overnight in the GTA, climbing to levels not seen in nearly two years as the switch from winter fuel to a more expensive summer blend pushes up the price at the pumps.
A Medicine Hat family physician has been sanctioned by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta after being found guilty of sexual touching of a vulnerable patient.
The driver killed in a head-on crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa's east end was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes when the vehicle collided with a second vehicle, according to Ontario Provincial Police.
Motorists in Ottawa will soon need to brace for a significant road closure affecting the eastbound on-ramp at Parkdale for almost four months this summer.
The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) is celebrating what it calls a 'significant win' in court after a judge stayed parts of Quebec's language laws that apply to English school boards across the province.
The Mobile Overdose Prevention Site operated by Sunshine House has been in operation since late 2022, and now a report is being released sharing the results of its first year.
Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) President Samantha Becotte says two days of "difficult" negotiations has led to a "final offer" with slight improvements to salary and the inclusion of a line in the collective agreement – promising to address classroom complexity issues.
Closing arguments were heard Thursday morning in the case of Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter in 2021 to keep her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
A letter signed by 49 emergency room nurses in Saskatoon is calling on the provincial government to reduce money spent on out of province travel nurses and further support homegrown health-care staff.
Gas prices across Ontario have spiked to levels not seen in nearly two years as the switch from winter fuel to a more expensive summer blend pushes the price at the pumps.
Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) President Samantha Becotte says two days of "difficult" negotiations has led to a "final offer" with slight improvements to salary and the inclusion of a line in the collective agreement – promising to address classroom complexity issues.
A Saskatchewan village and a contractor it hired are facing significant fines after conservation officers discovered they dumped demolition waste at an illegal landfill.
Closing arguments were heard Thursday morning in the case of Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter in 2021 to keep her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
A private career college in North Bay is under intense scrutiny from students for taking tuition but not offering courses, and from former teachers who say they haven't been paid.
WARNING: Please be aware that some details of this story are upsetting. An animal cruelty investigation is underway in northern Ontario after a box of dead puppies was found at a landfill site, police say.
A Barrie police officer charged with discreditable conduct following an OPP investigation made a court appearance via teleconference on Thursday morning.
Police advise vehicle owners to be cautious about selling privately after a recent incident where the seller did everything right when faced with a scammer.
The Essex-Windsor EMS is turning to smartphone tech to map lifesaving Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) in the region as new legislation is set to make mapping mandatory.
Two parents and a personal support worker in Windsor have been charged in connection to the death of a 29-year-old woman. On April 19, 2022, police were called to a home in the 2600 block of Meadowbrook Lane near Lauzon Parkway for an 'unresponsive female.'
One person has been taken to hospital after Windsor fire crews responded to a house on Alexis Road. The call came in shortly after 12 p.m. and multiple units responded.
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
British Columbia's police oversight agency says a Kelowna RCMP officer "quite likely crossed the criminal negligence threshold" when his attempt to conduct a wellness check on a man who was later found dead was thwarted because the officer couldn't find the buzzer number for the man's apartment.
A Nanaimo, B.C., woman says she is serenading a killer whale calf with her violin, hoping to entice the orca to leave the remote lagoon where she has been trapped alone for almost four weeks.
Nurses held a rally Wednesday at a hospital in the B.C. Interior that closed its emergency department more than a dozen times last year due to insufficient staff.
British Columbia is planning to add 240 new units to its complex-care housing program, providing homes for people with mental-health and addictions challenges that overlap with other serious conditions.
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
A pricing agreement has been reached between crab fishers and seafood processors that will allow for Newfoundland and Labrador's annual crab fishery to get started.
Longliners across Newfoundland and Labrador are tied up once again, as a new protest by the province's fish harvesters threatens to derail the crab fishery for a second straight year.