film / tv / substack / social media / lists / web / celeb / pajiba love / misc / about / cbr
film / tv / substack / web / celeb

Mario Batali Getty.jpg

Remember How Mario Batali Was Planning His Post-Sexual Misconduct Allegations Comeback? Well...

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Celebrity | May 31, 2018 |

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Celebrity | May 31, 2018 |


Mario Batali Getty.jpg

We’re at that point in the post-Weinstein age of the #MeToo movement where newspapers and think-piece merchants start posing the question of whether or not certain comebacks will be made. We saw Jeffrey Tambor try his media-friendly rehabilitation tour before the Arrested Development press junkets, which went as well as expected. Disney are apparently still trying to work out whether or not John Lasseter should be brought back into the upper echelons of power at the company. Chef Mario Batali was allegedly planning his comeback too, following various allegations of inappropriate behaviour made by former employees. In his non-apology to fans, he ‘kindly’ attached a cinnamon rolls recipe, just in case you fancied something sweet with your misogyny.

Well, it’s safe to say that won’t be happening. Eater, the food based website from Vox Media, published a report yesterday alleging further incidents of unwanted touching and kissing. Fans who asked for photos with the chef found themselves subjected to this groping. They’ve included video clips of two encounters. In one video, Batali sticks his tongue into someone’s mouth as they laugh and try to lean away. Both clips are seriously uncomfortable to watch.

The NYPD have confirmed that they are investigating Batali for two separate accusations of sexual assault. The Eater piece details multiple accusations of unwanted touching, groping, inappropriate comments and assault, all of which are eerily similar in detail. As we’ve seen with men like Harvey Weinstein, predators form a pattern of behaviour and stick to it. Batali has been fired from The Chew and removed from various businesses and restaurants he worked with. He could face criminal charges, making him one of the few prominent men from this wave of post-Weinstein allegations to actually face the courts.


(Header photograph courtesy of Getty Images)