Batali is stepping away from his TV show and businesses, including the recently opened Eataly L.A. at Westfield Century City after four women came forward Monday, alleging sexual misconduct against him over two decades.
Chef Mario Batali, who just a few weeks ago was a huge draw at Westfield Century City Mall during a preview for the opening of Eataly L.A., is the latest celebrity to be accused of sexual misconduct.
On Monday morning, Dec. 11, Eater NY broke the story, revealing that four women came forward accusing Batali of sexual misconduct spanning two decades. While none of the names of the women were revealed, three of them worked for Batali in some capacity. All four claimed he touched them inappropriately.
Batali’s response was swift. He did not deny the allegations, instead quickly announcing that he was stepping away from his business empire as well as his television show, “The Chew.” Batali also released a statement that read, in part, “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.”
In Eater’s investigative report, one of the women said she worked for Batali in the late 1990s when, in one of his restaurant’s dining rooms, he approached her from behind and “put his hand on half my butt and squeezed it.” Another recalled that he repeatedly grabbed her from behind and held her tight against his body. A third said he groped her.
The fourth accuser said Batali rubbed her breasts at a party about 10 years ago after someone spilled wine down her shirt.
Almost immediately after the publication of the accusations, B&B Hospitality Group, which provides back-office and operational services to 24 restaurants owned by Batali and Chef Joe Bastianich, said in a statement, “We take these allegations very seriously. Mr. Batali and we have agreed that he will step away from the company’s operations, including the restaurants, and has already done so.”
Eater revealed that Batali was reprimanded for further inappropriate behavior by B&B Hospitality Group in October and was required to undergo sexual harassment training.
Food Network also issued a statement saying it has placed relaunch plans for its show “Molto Mario” starring Batali on hold, while ABC said it asked Batali to step away from “The Chew”, stating, “ABC takes matters like this very seriously. While we are unaware of any type of inappropriate behavior involving him and anyone affiliated with the show, we will swiftly address any alleged violations of our standards of conduct.”
A representative for Westfield Century City told Century City-Westwood News it was referring all inquiries directly to Eataly.
A representative from Eataly told Century City-Westwood News, “Mario Batali is a minority shareholder in Eataly USA, as reported in the Eater article.”
Eataly issued a statement saying, “The allegations that surfaced [Monday] morning concerning Mario Batali’s behavior towards women were extremely troubling to us. We fully support Mr. Batali’s decision to step away from any active involvement with Eataly. Sexual harassment of any kind towards anyone in any form is unacceptable and Eataly cares deeply about creating a safe and comfortable environment for all our employees and customers, free of harassment, discrimination and retaliation.”
Condemnation for Batali on social media in the food world was quick and cutting. Anthony Bourdain tweeted, “It’s Batali. And it’s bad.” Chef Tom Colicchio responded, “And nobody should be surprised.”
