Mario Batali Archives – CULTURE MIX

ABC cancels ‘The Chew’; viewers react with anger and sadness

May 23, 2018

by Jennifer Dawson

ABC has announced that it is canceling its food-oriented talk show “The Chew” to make way for a third hour of “Good Morning America” at 1 p.m. ET/PT. “The Chew,” which debuted in 2011, “will cease production at the end of this season but will continue to air as planned until September [2018] with new episodes airing in June,” according to an ABC press release.

“The Chew” began with five hosts: Michael Symon, Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly, Daphne Oz and Mario Batali. Oz left in August 2017 to pursue other opportunities. Batali was fired in December 2017, after he admitted to and made a public apology for accusations that he sexually harassed female employees and colleagues for several years. Oz and Batali were not replaced on “The Chew.”

In a press release, “The Chew” creator/executive producer Gordon Elliott issued this statement: “Before ‘The Chew,’ no one had attempted a talk/food hybrid. Our hosts Clinton, Carla and Michael and the staff created television history executing the show as well as they did for all these years. I know I speak for all of the people who work on the show when I say it was the best television we have ever had the privilege to produce.”

Apart from Gordon Ramsay’s shows on Fox, “The Chew” was one of the few food-oriented shows on a broadcast (not cable) network.

Symon posted this statement on his Facebook page: “As you may have heard by now we found out today this is our final season of The Chew … I Just want to say thank you to everyone who not only was involved with show but to all those who watched daily and allowed us to entertain you…it has been an amazing run and we are all looking forward to new fun things!…xoxo…MS”

Hall commented on her Twitter account: I am so grateful for all the good times and incredible friends I have made over the past seven years on @thechew. It has truly been an amazing ride. I am looking forward to new adventures! What’s next? Stay tuned! Onward and upward! #adventurefollows.”

Viewers had swift and overwhelming reactions to “The Chew” being cancelled, with most expressing anger or sadness on the Internet about the show’s cancellation. A small minority of people reacting on the Internet expressed happiness that “The Chew” was cancelled, but they are identifying themselves as soap-opera fans who are still bitter that “All My Children” was cancelled and replaced by “The Chew.” Fans of “The Chew” are extremely upset about “The Chew” getting cancelled, and say they won’t be watching the “Good Morning America” segment that will be replacing the show.

Clinton Kelly, Carla Hall and Michael Symon of “The Chew” (Photo by Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC)

Here’s a sampling of comments from the Internet:

On “The Chew’s” official Facebook page:

“So disgusted and disappointed The Chew is being cancelled. I have been watching since the very first episode. I tape it everyday and see absolutely no reason why we need 3 hours of GMA. I love GMA but don’t need 3 hours of it. I hope the Food Network picks this show up.”

“Save the Chew… it’s the only daytime show I watch… I cannot believe it’s being cancelled for more news… I think we see enough negative stories in the morning and at night from the news… this was a great positive uplifting fun show and I learned a lot of new recipes too… I love the interviews w/ celebs cooking along side the chefs…”

“Just read the The Chew has been cancelled, yet The View is still on!! Very disappointing. I do not watch the 2 hours of GMA now so I definitely won’t be tuning in during this time slot.”

“I can not believe The Chew is cancelled. ABC execs have made a huge mistake here. This show has a great following and brings something different to daytime TV that no one else has. I DVR this show and look forward to watching every new episode. I will not be watching a THIRD hour of GMA. Absolutely ridiculous.”

“Shame on you ABC! We don’t need more news through the day, loved watching Clinton, Clara, and Michael. Hopefully, another station will pick them up.”

On Twitter:

“The Chew was a great show! The other 3 host had nothing to do with what Mario did. Who in the world needs another cornball hour of Good Morning America?”

“Boycott ABC. Shame on you for canceling The Chew! Nobody needs a 3rd hour of GMA.”

“I’m a ‘Good Morning America’ watcher, but not happy #TheChew has been canceled (despite strong ratings & sometimes outperforming “The View”) for a new afternoon version of @GMA! Unless #TJHolmes is hosting the 1pm version, this is a BAD idea!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPw7i9yUD34

UPDATE: “The Chew” aired its final episode on June 15, 2018. Here are some statistics that ABC provided about “The Chew”:

Seasons: 7

Episodes: 1,500

Audience members: 201,343

Recipes made: 6,630

Celebrity guests: 1,121

Crafts created: 228

Michael’s “5 in 5s”: 164

Carla’s desserts: 437

Emmys: In 2015, the co-hosts of “The Chew” won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host; and in 2016, “The Chew” won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show.

Mario Batali, Ken Friedman accused of sexual assault; police investigations are underway

May 21, 2018

by Colleen McGregor

New York-based celebrity restaurateurs Mario Batali and Ken Friedman have been accused of sexual assault, and Batali is under criminal investigation for it, according to the CBS News program “60 Minutes.” The program televised a bombshell report on May 20, 2018, alleging that Batali committed sex crimes and sexual harassment over the course of many years. The “60 Minutes” report featured interviews with several former employees of The Spotted Pig, a New York City restaurant co-owned by Friedman and frequented by Batali. Although many of the accusers’ claims were first reported by the New York Times in December 2017, the “60 Minutes” report includes new details about Batali’s alleged sexual assault against one of his former employees.

The accuser, who wished to remain anonymous, claims that Batali sexually assaulted her at The Spotted Pig in 2005, when she used to work for him at Batali’s restaurant Babbo. She says Batali invited her to The Spotted Pig, and she believes she was drugged without her knowledge and consent because she vomited and felt disoriented before passing out. She alleges that before she passed out, she remembered Batali kissing her. The former Babbo employee woke up to injuries on her body, knowing that something sexual had happened to her without her consent because she found semen stains on her skirt. She says that when she confronted Batali about the alleged assault, he said nothing. Although the accuser says she went to police and even had a rape-kit test done on her, she ultimately decided not to file a police report against Batali, out of fear of retaliation and because she feared there wasn’t enough proof that any sexual acts he may have committed were without her consent. (On a semi-related note, Babbo fired executive chef Frank Langello in January 2018, after he was accused of sexual misconduct, according to the restaurant-industry website Eater. Langello had worked at Babbo for more than 17 years.)

Another woman, who also wants to remain anonymous, is claiming that Batali drugged and raped her at Babbo in 2004. The New York Times reports that the New York Police Department is also investigating this accusation against Batali.

Batali is denying the claims of sexual assault, but in December 2017, he acknowledged and made a public apology for sexually inappropriate conduct against many of his female employees and colleagues. The apology came when Eater published an article exposing Batali’s alleged misdeeds. He was subsequently fired as a co-host of ABC’s “The Chew,” and he announced that he was stepping away from his businesses. Friedman did the same thing around the same time: He made a public apology for his behavior, and he stepped down from his businesses; he is denying that he committed any non-consensual sex acts.

A subsequent report published by Eater in December 2017 detailed allegations of rampant sexual misconduct at restaurants owned by Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, the company co-founded by Batali, Joe Bastianich and Joe’s mother Lidia Bastianich. Joe Bastianich (who is a judge on Fox’s “MasterChef”) was named by several former anonymous employees as a deliberate enabler/participant in the sexually abusive behavior, which accusers claim was happening for about 20 years.

After the “60 Minutes” report aired, Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group (which owns 28 restaurants worldwide) issued a statement saying that it is in the process of ending the company’s involvement with Batali.

Here is Batali’s statement to “60 Minutes” about the claim that he sexually assaulted a Babbo employee in 2005 while she was unconscious: “I vehemently deny the allegation that I sexually assaulted this woman. My past behavior has been deeply inappropriate and I am sincerely remorseful for my actions. I am not attempting a professional comeback. My only focus is finding a personal path forward—a path where I can continue my charitable endeavors—helping the underprivileged and those in need.”

The former Spotted Pig employees who told their stories to “60 Minutes” did not remain anonymous. They include former waitresses Trish Nelson, Carla Rza Betts and Natalie Saibel, as well as former manager Jamie Seet and former bartender Erin Fein. They all said that Batali and/or Friedman frequently harassed them physically and verbally. Seet claims that she witnessed Batali sexually assaulting a woman by putting his hands in or on her genital area while she seemed to be unconscious. This alleged assault was caught on surveillance video, and Seet claims that she and other Spotted Pig employees saw the video, but they did not report it to the police. This was a story she also told to the New York Times. Fein claims that Friedman groped and kissed her without her consent while they were in his car in 2014, and then ordered her not to tell anyone. Nelson also claims that Friedman did the same thing to her.

As for why the accusers did not file formal complaints, they all said that it was common knowledge that Batali’s and Friedman’s power in the close-knit restaurant industry meant that the two men could destroy the careers of anyone who spoke out against them. And if any incidents of harassment or abuse were reported to supervisors at The Spotted Pig, former employees say that nothing was done about the problem, because Friedman was one of the alleged perpetrators. For example, Seet told “60 Minutes” that Batali had grabbed her breasts while she was on the job, but when she told Friedman about it, he laughed and dismissed her concerns. According to “60 Minutes,” The Spotted Pig, which opened in 2004, did not have a human resources department until 2017.

Seet also claimed that Friedman “blacklisted” her when she tried to find a job at another restaurant. In one example, she says that she had a job offer rescinded, and was told that she wasn’t hired for the job because of Friedman. All the accusers say that rampant sexual harassment isn’t just a problem for The Spotted Pig and the restaurant industry but for society as a whole, especially in places where there are very few women in power.

But even having a woman in power doesn’t guarantee a safe working environment. April Bloomfield, The Spotted Pig chef who co-founded the restaurant with Friedman, issued a statement to “60 Minutes” saying that she regrets not doing more to protect her employees, and that she is in the process of ending her partnership with Friedman.

Dozens of famous and powerful men have been accused of sexual misconduct since the #MeToo movement became a major cultural force in late 2017. Many of the accused have lost their jobs and have been sued in civil cases, but criminal cases against them have been rare, since the required burden of proof is much larger in order for a criminal case to make it to court. Entertainment mogul Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons are all reportedly under criminal investigations for sex crimes, and it remains to be seen what the outcomes of those investigations will be.*

Disgraced actor/comedian Bill Cosby is the only celebrity in several years who has been convicted of a felony sex crime. His conviction, which took place in April 2018, was for the 2004 rape of Andrea Constand, a former employee of Temple University’s women’s basketball team.

*May 25, 2018 UPDATE: Harvey Weinstein was arrested for felony sexual assault in New York City. He has pled not guilty.

Mario Batali scandal: Celebrity chef steps down from his business and ‘The Chew’ after admitting to sexual harassment

December 11, 2017

by Colleen McGregor

Mario Batali has become yet another famous and powerful person accused of sexual harassment, resulting in serious damage to his career. Unlike most of the accused, celebrity chef/restaurateur Batali has admitted to the allegations made against him by colleagues and co-workers, some of whom detailed their stories to Eater, a website that covers the restaurant industry. In the wake of these revelations that Eater published on December 11, 2017, Batali has stepped down from his businesses and has left his co-hosting position at ABC’s food-oriented talk show “The Chew.”

According to the stories published by Eater, Batali (who is 57) has a history of harassing women for at least 25 years. The harassment includes unwanted groping of breasts, buttocks and other parts of the body, as well as crude sexual comments in the workplace. Batali is married with two adult children.

Along with Joe Bastianich and Lidia Bastianich, Batali is a partner in Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, which owns the New York City restaurants Del Posto and Babbo, which each has one Michelin star. Batali is also a minority shareholder in Eataly USA, a chain of food halls specializing in Italian cuisine.

Batali had been co-hosting “The Chew” since the show’s premiere in 2011. He also starred in the Food Network show “Molto Mario,” which aired from 1996 to 2004. Batali was previously a sous chef at the Four Seasons Biltmore and a sous chef for the Four Seasons Clift Hotel San Francisco. His education includes studying at Fordham University and Le Cordon Bleu.

Batali released this statement to Eater: “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.”

Several journalists working on sexual-harassment stories involving the rich and famous have reported that the restaurant industry is one of the worst when it comes to sexual misconduct and degradation, with women usually being the target of the abuse. Batali surely will not be the last celebrity in the industry who will be exposed as a sexual harasser and have a fall from grace because of it.