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Mario Batali Has Been Fired From "The Chew"

Photo credit: Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved
Photo credit: Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved

From Redbook

Celebrity chef Mario Batali will no longer be a cohost on the ABC show The Chew, the network announced Thursday. The decision came after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct, in investigations published by Eater and The New York Times.

Immediately following the Eater report, ABC announced it had asked him to "step away from the show" while the network reviewed the allegations against him. The next day, his cohosts, Clinton Kelly, Carla Hall, and Michael Symon, issued a statement on camera saying the same, and that "we take these matters very seriously and are committed to a safe work environment."

Now, the network has announced Batali will no longer appear on the show. An ABC spokesperson issued the following statement:

"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. 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."

Batali has apologized for his behavior and announced he was stepping away from the day-to-day operations of his business. "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," he said in a statement. Since then, Food Network has halted a reboot of his show, Molto Mario. Crocs and Eataly, among other brands, have distanced themselves from Batali.

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