Mario Batali Includes Cinnamon Roll Recipe in Sexual Misconduct Apology

ABC recently fired the celebrity chef from its daytime cooking show The Chew, in which he had served as a co-host, after he was accused of sexual misconduct

By Corinne Heller Dec 16, 2017 7:36 PMTags

Mario Batali has come under fire for a printed apology over his "wrong" behavior, which included a link to a recipe and was issued soon after ABC announced it had fired him from The Chew after he was accused of sexual misconduct, for which he apologized in a previous statement.

The celebrity chef's newsletter that was sent to fans on Friday contained the following message:

"As many of you know, this week there has been some news coverage about some of my past behavior.

I have made many mistakes and I am so very sorry that I have disappointed my friends, my family, my fans and my team. My behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility.

Sharing the joys of Italian food, tradition and hospitality with all of you, each week, is an honor and privilege. Without the support of all of you – my fans – I would never have a forum in which to expound on this. I will work every day to regain your respect and trust. – mb

ps. in case you're searching for a holiday-inspired breakfast, these Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls are a fan favorite."

photos
Hollywood's Many Men Accused of Sexual Misconduct
Lou Rocco/ABC

Screenshots of the newsletter were shared on Twitter on Friday and sparked an online backlash. E! News has reached out to Batali's rep for comment.

"Mix together:
8 oz. of misogyny
4 tbsp of disrespect
1 cup of finely honed predatory behavior
Bake at 350 until the 'open secret' is cooked through
Sprinkle with feigned remorse
Finish with tone deafness to taste," user @AlexaMKissinger tweeted.

"Guess he misplaced the humble pie recipe," wrote user @EricNagourney.

ABC had announced on Thursday it had fired Batali from The Chew. The news came days after Eater New York reported that four women had accused him of touching them inappropriately over at least two decades.

"I apologize to the people I have mistreated and hurt," Batali had said this week to E! News in a statement. "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."

Meanwhile, according to Fox News, both Walmart and Target announced they plan to drop Mario Batali-branded products from their stores due to the sexual misconduct accusations against him.