Four women accuse Mario Batali of sexual harassment, prompting him to step away from ABC’s The Chew

Eater NY

The Chew co-host and Food Network personality has been accused by four women of inappropriately touching that has spanned at least two decades, according to an Eater New York exposé. The allegations range from Batali rubbing a woman’s breasts without permission to repeatedly grabbing a woman from behind. “Batali was reprimanded for inappropriate behavior in the workplace as recently as two months ago,” Eater reports. In response, an ABC spokesperson said it has asked Batali to step away from The Chew “while we review the allegations that have just recently come to our attention.” Batali responded to the allegations with a statement saying: “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.”

ALSO:

• Anthony Bourdain hinted at the news on Sunday night, tweeting: "No. Trust me. Monday is really gonna suck... It’s where you stand when the people you care about and admire do awful things that matters. Keeping head down and hoping it goes away? No." After Eater published its story Monday morning, Bourdain tweeted. "It’s Batali. And it’s bad ."