ABC officially fires co-host on ‘The Chew’
Disgraced super-chef Mario Batali has been chewed up and spit out by ABC.
The restaurateur was officially relieved of his hosting duties on popular daytime talk show “The Chew” in light of sexual assault claims, the network announced Thursday.
“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,’” an ABC spokesperson told the Daily News in a statement.
“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.”
The network previously announced Batali would be stepping away from the show while ABC reviewed allegations against him.
The established restaurateur had been a co-host of the cooking-themed chatfest since its inception in 2011.
In 2015, he and his co-hosts won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Informative Talk Show host.
Those same co-hosts — Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly and Michael Symon — addressed Batali’s suspension with a prepared statement during Tuesday’s episode.
“We want you to know we take these matters very seriously and are committed to a safe work environment. Our commitment to our viewers remains the same — to deliver the entertaining show that you’ve come to expect,” the statement said.
Allegations against the 57-yearold Batali came to light Monday in an Eater report in which four women — three of whom had worked for him — accused him of inappropriate touching.
Batali apologized for his misconduct and said the accusations aligned with his past behavior.
“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,” he said in a statement.
One day later, four women and one man told The Washington Post that the celebrity chef made crass come-ons, groped them and verbally harassed them.