(ABC / Paula Lobo)
Add celebrity chef Mario Batali to the list of men who have been hit with allegations of sexual misconduct. ABC has announced Batali will step away from his hosting duties on The Chew. Although the network was careful to note it is unaware of any allegations regarding his seven seasons on the daytime food and entertainment show, it plans to conduct a review. For now, Batali’s exit is for an “unspecified” amount of time. The program was already down one cast member, as another original co-host, Daphne Oz, left after the sixth season. Michael Symon, Carla Hall, and Clinton Kelly also host The Chew.
Similarly, Food Network has put its plans for revival of Batali’s Molto Mario TV show on hold. Just last month, the cable network had announced it was bringing back the cooking series, which originally ran from the mid-1990s to 2000s — with six new episodes planned for 2018.
Restaurateur Mario Batali is stepping down from both his company and ABC’s The Chew for an indefinite period, the result of a lengthy expose on foodie blog Eater New York that accuses the famous chef of sexual harassment of four women.
“We have asked Mario Batali to step away from The Chew while we review the allegations that have just recently come to our attention,” a spokeswoman for ABC said in a statement. “ABC takes matters like this very seriously as we are committed to a safe work environment. While we are unaware of any type of inappropriate behavior involving him and anyone affiliated with the show, we will swiftly address any alleged violations of our standards of conduct.”
The Eater article accuses the celebrity chef of “inappropriate touching” over “at least two decades.”
“Three of the women worked for Batali in some capacity during their careers,” the article states. “One former employee alleges that over the course of two years, he repeatedly grabbed her from behind and held her tightly against his body. Another former employee alleges that he groped her and that, in a separate incident, he compelled her to straddle him; another alleges that he grabbed her breasts at a party, though she no longer worked for him at the time.”
Batali told the website, “I apologize to the people I have mistreated and hurt. Although the identities of most of the individuals mentioned in these stories have not been revealed to me, much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I have acted. That behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility and am deeply sorry for any pain, humiliation or discomfort I have caused to my peers, employees, customers, friends and family.
“I have work to do to try to regain the trust of those I have hurt and disappointed. For this reason, I am going to step away from day-to-day operations of my businesses. We built these restaurants so that our guests could have fun and indulge, but I took that too far in my own behavior. I won’t make that mistake again. I want any place I am associated with to feel comfortable and safe for the people who work or dine there.
“I know my actions have disappointed many people. The successes I have enjoyed are owned by everyone on my team. The failures are mine alone. To the people who have been at my side during this time — my family, my partners, my employees, my friends, my fans — I am grateful for your support and hopeful that I can regain your respect and trust. I will spend the next period of time trying to do that.”
In addition to his co-hosting duties on ABC’s afternoon foodie show, Batali co-owns, with Joe Bastianich, B&B Hospitality Group, operating more than 20 restaurants around the world, including the hugely popular Eataly restaurants and gourmet markets in New York and Los Angeles.
Eater, which originally broke the Batali story, also reports on the Molto Mario situation:
In light of the sexual misconduct allegations lodged against Mario Batali from four women — three of whom worked at the chef’s restaurant group over the years — the Food Network is freezings its plans to revive Molto Mario. “Food Network takes matters like this very seriously and we are putting relaunch plans for Molto Mario on hold,” a rep tells Eater this morning.
Last month, the Food Network announced that it had filmed six new episodes of Molto Mario, the program that made Batali a household name, with plans to air them in 2018. The 75 episodes of the original show, which Batali filmed in the late ’90s and early 2000s, were in heavy rotation on the Food Network for years. Molto Mario propelled Batali to national fame and paved the way for many more television projects, including the Food Network’s Iron Chef America and PBS’s Spain… on the Road Again. Over the last two decades, Batali has also made countless appearances on morning and late night shows.
Last night, Anthony Bourdain cryptically tweeted that today would not be a good one.
..and Monday, I’m afraid, isn’t going to get any better .
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017
No. Trust me. Monday is really gonna suck .
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017
Bourdain and Batali’s friendship is rather well known. Today, the cook, writer, and CNN travel show host made it clear his earlier tweets were about Mario Batali, adding:
It’s Batali. And it’s bad .
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017
What do you think? Do you think Mario Batali will eventually resume his co-hosting role on The Chew TV series? With Oz gone and Batali under fire, should ABC cancel or renew The Chew for season eight? Sound off, in the comments.
You are currently viewing the mobile version of our site. View the full site to get free email alerts, vote on your favorite shows, comment, and more.