Mario Batali Officially Fired From ‘The Chew’

Mario Batali has been fired from The Chew after ABC reviewed allegations of sexual misconduct against the host.

“Upon completing its review into the allegations made against Mario Batali, ABC has terminated its relationship with him and he will no longer appear on ‘The Chew,’” a network spokesperson said in a statement on Friday, Variety reports.

“While we remain unaware of any type of inappropriate behavior involving him and anyone affiliated with our show, ABC takes matters like this very seriously as we are committed to a safe work environment and his past behavior violates our standards of conduct,” the spokesperson added.

The network has taken swift action to remove the celebrity chef’s presence from The Chew‘s social media pages and ABC’s press site; his photos and information have all been deleted.

Batali stepped away The Chew and from his business earlier this week after four women accused him of groping them in an article published by the Eater New York.

In a New York Times expose Tuesday on The Spotted Pig, a luxury NYC restaurant Batali frequently visited, the number of sexual misconduct allegations against him grew as past and present employees claimed “they regularly experienced or witnessed sexual aggression by Mr. Batali there.”

Aside from his on-air gig, Batali owns B&B Hospitality Group with Joe Bastianich, a company that provides support to around 24 restaurants around the world. In October, a B&B employee reported inappropriate behavior by Batali to the company. The report marked the first formal complaint against the celebrity chef and the company says Batali was reprimanded and required to undergo training.

Following the allegations, Batali told Eater he has stepped away from the day-to-day operations of his businesses for an unspecified period of time. He did not deny all of the claims against him.

“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,” he said in a statement. “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.”

“I know my actions have disappointed many people,” he continued. “The successes I have enjoyed are owned by everyone on my team. The failures are mine alone. To the people who have been at my side during this time — my family, my partners, my employees, my friends, my fans — I am grateful for your support and hopeful that I can regain your respect and trust. I will spend the next period of time trying to do that.”

ABC has not revealed its plans to replace Batali on The Chew. Currently, the seventh season of the daytime show is hosted by Carla Hall, Cinton Kelly and Michael Symon.