ABC has fired Mario Batali from its food-infused daytime talk show following an Eater New York blog post that detailed “habitual” sexual harassment and inappropriate touching by the celebrity chef.
“Upon completing its review into the allegations made against Mario Batali, ABC has terminated its relationship with him and he will no longer appear on The Chew,” the network confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY. “While we remain unaware of any type of inappropriate behavior involving him and anyone affiliated with our show, ABC takes matters like this very seriously as we are committed to a safe work environment and his past behavior violates our standards of conduct.”
Source and more: USA Today
Batali himself also released a statement earlier this week that said he was leaving his company for an unspecified period of time, “to try to regain the trust of those I have hurt and disappointed.”
His statement reads, in part, “I apologize to the people I have mistreated and hurt…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.”
Source and more: ABC News
The Chew may have survived the Batali scandal for now, but will the series be cancelled or renewed for Season 8? Stay tuned…
Joann says
There is no reason to think about cancelling The Chew. The 3 remaining hosts work well together. They make me laugh everyday and I have fun trying their recipes. The show shouldn’t suffer because of what happened with Mario.