John Torode axed from MasterChef after allegations of racist language upheld
It comes after Torode confirmed he is the subject of an allegation of using racist language that was upheld as part of a review into the behaviour of co-presenter Gregg Wallace.
Last night (Monday, July 14 ), Torode posted on Instagram confirming he was the person alleged to have used racist language but said he had 'no recollection of the incident' and was 'shocked and saddened' by the allegation.
Confirming Torode's exit, a Banijay spokesperson said: 'In response to John Torode's statement, it is important to stress that Banijay UK takes this matter incredibly seriously.
'The legal team at Lewis Silkin that investigated the allegations relating to Gregg Wallace also substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against John Torode which occurred in 2018.
'This matter has been formally discussed with John Torode by Banijay UK, and whilst we note that John says he does not recall the incident, Lewis Silkin have upheld the very serious complaint.
"Banijay UK and the BBC are agreed that we will not renew his contract on MasterChef.'
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A BBC spokesperson added that the allegation against Torode 'involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace' which was 'investigated and substantiated' by the independent investigation led by Lewis Silkin.
They said: 'John Torode denies the allegation. He has stated he has no recollection of the alleged incident and does not believe that it happened. He also says that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment.
'The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously. We will not tolerate racist language of any kind and, as we have already said, we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken. John Torode's contract on MasterChef will not be renewed.'
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"I don't know how many of the allegations and how many of the substantiated allegations he witnessed... what I do know is, Gregg Wallace used an incredibly inappropriate term, and John Torode didn't do anything. "There was no emotion. That could be a lot of things; it could be that it was 2017, it had been going on since 2005, there was a complaint made by Kirsty Wark in 2005, so maybe he had become used to it. I don't know. "You would expect some emotion on his face, but maybe he was just used to it. That's not his fault necessarily, that's Gregg Wallace's for putting him in that position." Mir later added: "I feel sorry for Gregg Wallace, I do feel sorry for him because of the neurodivergence, which is quite obvious here. Someone, the production company, should have stepped in earlier and said this is not acceptable. And do you know what, we wouldn't have the mess we're in today." Read more: MasterChef controversy BBC responds to claims final MasterChef series with Gregg Wallace and John Torode 'will still air' amid axe (The Standard, 3 min read) John Torode 'preparing to sue' BBC for 'unfair' MasterChef sacking (The Independent, 2 min read) How much is MasterChef worth to the BBC as both hosts axed from hit show? (The Independent, 4 min read) A report commissioned by production company Banijay into complaints about Wallace found 45 out of 83 allegations were upheld. Mir said, "I'm pretty sure one of them was mine, but no one actually told me that it was, so you have to second-guess the report." Responding to the news of his exit from MasterChef, Torode wrote on Instagram: "Although I haven't heard from anyone at the BBC or Banijay — I am seeing and reading that I've been 'sacked' from MasterChef, and I repeat that I have no recollection of what I'm accused of. The enquiry could not even state the date or the year of when I am meant to have said something wrong. "I'd hoped that I'd have some say in my exit from a show I've worked on since its relaunch in 2005, but events in the last few days seems to have prevented that. Over the past few months, I have been considering my life and the shape of it now and in the future. "Celebrity MasterChef, which I recently filmed with Grace Dent, along with two fantastic Christmas specials, will be my last. Personally, I have loved every minute of working on MasterChef but it's time to pass the cutlery to someone else. For whoever takes over, love it as I have. "I will watch fondly from afar as I now focus on the many other exciting projects that I have been working towards. My tummy will be grateful for a rest after 20 years of eating, but what a joy it has been. Life is ever-changing and ever-moving & sometimes personal happiness and fulfilment lay elsewhere. Thank you for many years of MasterChef." The fallout over MasterChef continues with reports that John Torode plans to sue the BBC after he was fired and is determined to clear his name following the allegation that he used an 'extremely offensive racist term' in 2018. Broadcaster Aasmah Mir appeared on Celebrity… — Good Morning Britain (@GMB) July 17, 2025 Meanwhile, Wallace said of the report's findings: "For eight months, my family and I have lived under a cloud. Trial by media, fuelled by rumour and clickbait. "None of the serious allegations against me were upheld. I challenged the remaining issue of unwanted touching but have had to accept a difference in perception, and I am deeply sorry for any distress caused. It was never intended." What had Aasmah Mir said about her Gregg Wallace complaint? Mir first spoke about her experiences on Celebrity MasterChef to Good Morning Britain in December 2024. She said: "I put my first dish down... my hands were shaking, they paused to reset. In front of everybody, the judges, the crew, the other contestants... Gregg Wallace said to me, 'oh, do you work at Radio 4?' "I thought, how nice, he's doing that presenter thing, he's relaxing you. I said, 'Yes, I do work at Radio 4.' 'Do you know X?' 'Yes, I do.' He said, 'Tell her from me' I thought he was going to say hi, 'Tell her from me, she's a sexy b***h'. "There was a silence, and then I laughed awkwardly. I just remember thinking this is mad. I wish I hadn't laughed, but I did. No one said anything, and then they just went right, let's start again, and they tasted my dish. I just remember thinking, am I going mad? I'm not using the excuse, but when you've just had a baby, you do think everything is a bit mad. "I remember thinking, did I imagine that? What happened there? So I went back and I muddled through for a couple of days, and then I was eliminated. It was in my head for many months, and I thought I can't complain about this because it's going to look like sour grapes because I was first out, so I kept quiet." Mir added: "Then I heard from another contestant that there had been other things that had gone on. That Gregg Wallace had gone up to one of the contestants who didn't like handling fish. Of course, they'd given her some fish to gut, because it's TV. He went up to her and said, 'watching you trying to gut a fish is like watching a rapist doing foreplay.'" The journalist continued that she had later run into another contestant from the series who told her about the incident: "One of the contestants said she was so upset that she walked away, and the production crew did come up to her because she walked away. I should have walked away, probably. Gregg Wallace was made to apologise to her for that, which he did. But he shouldn't have said it in the first place. "When she told me that, I thought I need to do something about this because I'm a journalist, I know how this works. Someone is going to say down the years, why did you not complain at the time. It's classic, I get loads of that online anyway." Good Morning Britain airs on ITV1 at 6am on weekdays.
