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Get the gift of losing your multi-million empire for Christmas brehs
Mario Batali, the chef and restaurant owner, is stepping away from the daily operations of his businesses and the daytime program he co-hosts on ABC, “The Chew,” after reports of alleged sexual misconduct.
A report published Monday on Eater, the food website, said four women have alleged that Mr. Batali touched them inappropriately in a pattern of behavior that appears to span at least two decades. Three of the women worked for Mr. Batali in some capacity during their careers, and the fourth worked in the restaurant industry, Eater reported.
Mr. Batali, in a statement sent to The New York Times by his representative, said the accusations “match up” with ways he has behaved:
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.
It was not immediately clear how long Mr. Batali planned to stay away from his businesses.
Eater also quoted a statement from ABC, later provided to The Times, which said that the network had asked Mr. Batali, who has been on “The Chew” since 2011, to step away “while we review the allegations that have just recently come to our attention.”
“ABC takes matters like this very seriously as we are committed to a safe work environment. 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,” the statement said.
The Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, the restaurant-management services company that provides support to around 24 restaurants owned by, among others, Mr. Batali and Joe Bastianich, said that in October 2017 an employee from one of those restaurants reported inappropriate behavior by Mr. Batali. The company could not be immediately reached.
Minutes into their conversation, she recalls, he told her, “Come work for me, I’ll pay you double what you’re making.” Moments later, someone bumped her glass, spilling wine all over her chest and down her scooped-neck shirt. She alleges that Batali began rubbing her breasts with his bare hands while saying something like, “Let me help you with that,” as he groped her chest. “He just went to town, and I was so shocked,” the chef says. “Jaw on the ground, I just stepped back from him in utter disgust and walked away.”
The chef is one of four women who allege that Batali touched them inappropriately in a pattern of behavior that appears to span at least two decades. Three of the women worked for Batali in some capacity during their careers. One former employee alleges that over the course of two years, he repeatedly grabbed her from behind and held her tightly against his body. Another former employee alleges that he groped her and that, in a separate incident, he compelled her to straddle him; another alleges that he grabbed her breasts at a party, though she no longer worked for him at the time. The woman whose allegations are described above has never worked for Batali, though she works in the restaurant industry.
All I know is, fukk "The Chew". When All my Children died, it was replaced with that garbage
....ain't nobody safe....
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