ABC axes baking show amid sexual misconduct claims
Culinary and media titan Ayesha Curry at times seems unstoppable. But her latest project — ABC’s “The Great American Baking Show” — has been killed through no fault of her own.
ABC yanked the show off the air just one week after it debuted as one of the show’s judges was accused of sexual misconduct. Celebrity pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini is reportedly facing allegations from multiple women who accused him of harassment and abuse.
“In light of allegations that recently came to our attention, ABC has ended its relationship with Johnny Iuzzini and will not be airing the remainder of ‘The Great American Baking Show’ episodes,” an ABC spokesman said in a statement. “ABC takes matters such as those described in the allegations very seriously and has come to the conclusion that they violate our standards of conduct.”
Curry, the wife of Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, was caught in the crossfire. She and former NFL player Anthony “Spice” Adams were the brand-new co-hosts of the culinary competition, which was previously known as “The Great Holiday Baking Show.”
Season 3 debuted on Dec. 7 and the second episode was set to air Thursday night. Instead, episodes of “The Great Christmas Light Fight” and “CMA Country Christmas” took its place.
Although Curry has become a well-known celebrity through her various projects, this was her first chance to headline a show on a major broadcast network that reaches millions of viewers in prime time. It figured to be a big plus on her ever-growing resume and introduce her to even more potential fans. Thus far, Curry has had no comment via Twitter or elsewhere.
The debut episode of “The Great American Baking Show” didn’t exactly generate blockbuster ratings, earning an audience of 3.7 million, according to Nielsen. But that is still significantly more than what Curry’s show on Food Network — “Ayesha’s Home Kitchen” — draws during a typical afternoon airing. Now there’s no way of knowing if the ABC series would have built its audience over time and via DVR viewings.