Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!
More Women Come Forward With New Accusations Against Mario Batali — And They Have Video
Chef Mario Batali continues to deny sexual assault claims, but more women have come forward — on the record.
The first high-profile sexual misconduct claims emerged against Mario Batali in December, and although the chef denies the allegations, they continue to intensify.
Several women spoke to Eater for a report it published on Wednesday, May 30, and detailed their allegations of inappropriate touching and unwanted kissing from the chef, including allegations that he groped them as they posed for photos. Eater also published video that the women — who were fans of the chef — claim demonstrates their allegations. And unlike past reports, four women spoke on the record in the case of the Eater story.
One of them, the pastry chef and cookbook author Jenny McCoy, explained why she chose to go on the record now, though she had been an anonymous accuser at an earlier stage: “These men, men like Batali, who are powerful and delusional, won’t back down, obviously. So we need to keep using our voices, women and men, to make a real change, a real cultural shift — and no longer tolerate this behavior.”
The New York Police Department has an ongoing investigation into the claims against Batali.
Meanwhile, dominos continue to fall for Batali's business ventures: All traces of Batali vanished from Eataly, he was fired from The Chew, and ABC eventually announced the show's cancellation — and it was just announced that all three of Batali's Las Vegas Strip restaurants are set to close.
