‘Master Chef’ Winner Under Fire for Using Racial Slur on Social Media

The MasterChef winner dubbed the culinary Johnny Depp who stole the hearts of America is being seen in a new light after coming under fire for racial slurs found on his Facebook page.

Dino Angelo Luciano, the 28-year-old hailing from Bensonhurst, New York who walked away from MasterChef $250,000 richer, is being accused of using offensive comments on social media, according to the Daily Mail. The comments were posted from 2011-2014 on dating site BlackPeopleMeet.com, as well as Luciano’s own Facebook page and the Facebook pages of some of his friends.

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“I hope I don’t have to be black to use this dating website. I would love to find the n****r of my dreams,” one comment posted to the dating website reads.

“Prank my phone again and I’ll break your f*****g legs, which would suck because you shred like a motherf****r. Anyway, don’t eat too much cake, your ass is already on it’s (sic) way to n****r status,” reads another.

The posts were discovered by an online acquaintance who doesn’t personally know Luciano and who only unearthed the offensive posts after learning that you can find homophobic and racist friends on Facebook by searching offensive words.

“I was extremely shocked to see what he’d posted. It was a while ago but it’s not like he was 16 or anything – he was an adult,” the source said. “It is really cringe-worthy to read. It is upsetting. I wasn’t expecting him to write those things… he words he was using were hurtful, and used very aggressively. I think those actions, even in the past, may indicate that he still has some maturing to do. I don’t think use of words like that is acceptable in any context. He needs to apologize.”

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Luciano has denied posting the comments, alleging that an ex hacked his account. He released a statement expressing his concern over the allegations and his sorrow.

“I am not a racist, support racism, or anything of that sort including jokes or bad names,” he released in a statement. “Being multicultured and gender neutral, I would never use the N word or F word describing homosexuality. I am in full support of the LGBTQ community, and I will always continue to do my part.

“I’ve struggled long and hard to get this person out of my memory; their “jokes” and pranks have left me scarred, and the damage done in my life to which some was irreparable, losing friends. I apologize for the drama and confusion this has caused, and the drama I see that it is still continuing to cause.”