Mario Batali accused of sexual misconduct by four women
Celebrity chef Mario Batali steps away from his restaurant empire and has been removed from co-hosting duties on ABC’s “The Chew” following sexual misconduct allegations by four women.
Over the last week, celebrity chef Mario Batali has been accused of sexual harassment by several former employees and contemporaries in the restaurant industry. And since those allegations came to light, the celebrity chef has been removed from the television show “The Chew,” as well as been asked to step down from “day to day operations” at his restaurants.
Now, the restauranteur has issued another apology, this time via an emailed statement to his newsletter subscribers — but fans aren't exactly pleased.
MARIO BATALI'S UPCOMING FOOD NETWORK SERIES PUT 'ON HOLD' AMID ALLEGATIONS
In the emailed statement, Batali started by acknowledging his “past behavior.”
“As many of you know, this week there has been some news coverage about some of my past behavior,” he wrote. “I have made many mistakes and I am so very sorry that I have disappointed my friends, my family, my fans and my team. My behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility. Sharing the joys of Italian food, tradition and hospitality with all of you, each week, is an honor and privilege. Without the support of all of you — my fans — I would never have a forum in which to expound on this.”
The apology seems to end with a sincere pledge, “I will work every day to regain your respect and trust. –mb”
However, after the signature, Batali added an awkward post script that has left the internet confused and upset.
“ps. in case you’re searching for a holiday-inspired breakfast, these Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls are a fan favorite,” he wrote with a link for the recipe.
Twitter was quick to pounce on the strange apology, calling it meaningless and tone-deaf.
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“Mario Batali's apology to the people who might stop spending money on his brand including a cinnamon bun recipe was worse than tone deaf. It was insulting to his victims,” one person tweeted.
Another user found the recipe inclusion so bizarre that he thought it was a gag by the Onion – a satirical news site.
One woman even “fixed” the apology by crossing out the cinnamon roll recipe and replacing the word “victims” over those he apologized to.
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