Celebrity Chef Johnny Iuzzini Facing More Allegations of Abuse

Former judge on The Great American Baking Show, Johnny Iuzzini, is facing new, more shocking allegations of sexual harassment during his time as pastry chef at Jean-Georges.

Iuzzini was already accused of serial abuse and misconduct by four former employees last month in a report by Mic. Now, the website says four more women have come to them with horror stories about the celebrity chef, as well as proof that Iuzzini’s superiors at Jean-Georges knew about his transgressions as early as 2004.

Reporters obtained multiple documents about Iuzzini’s behavior, including one lawsuit filed against the restaurant over it. The suit was filed in 2007 by a former waiter named Joseph Bassani. It details an after-hours work event held in the restaurant in 2004 where Iuzzini hired an adult performer for the staff.

Bassani said that a woman “entered the dining room and began to perform explicit sexual acts on herself and with employees,” and that Iuzzini specifically singled him out as a volunteer. Many attendees were made uncomfortable by the performance, as well as Iuzzini’s enthusiasm for it.

Reporters from Mic also acquired a report filed to Jean-Georges management by an employee in 2010, detailing an encounter where Iuzzini reportedly physically threatened her.

Iuzzini gave a statement in response, saying that much of this latest report is false.

“I am truly disheartened at the thought of anyone being hurt from my past actions,” he said. “However, there is a difference between accepting responsibility for my immaturity and allowing false claims and accusations to be reported.”

Jean-George also made a response to the new article.

“We take issues of employee welfare very seriously and have worked hard to make sure employees have a safe environment to work in,” a spokesperson for the Trump Tower restaurant said. “However, we cannot comment about a current or former employee matter — particularly one more than 13 years ago.”