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Toronto Sun
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Giada De Laurentiis ‘cried' after Mario Batali credited her success to her ‘big boobs'
Giada De Laurentiis participates in Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One - Aperitivo presented by Mohegan Sun hosted by Giada De Laurentiis part of the LIVEHAPPilly series presented by illy caffé at Iron 23 on October 14, 2021 in New York City. Photo by Dave Kotinsky / Getty Images Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Giada De Laurentiis revealed what fellow former Food Network star Mario Batali really thought of her success in the industry. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The celebrity chef was a guest on Samah Dada's YouTube show On the Menu when she brought up the scandal-ridden Batali. 'This is a person we're not supposed to talk about, but we're going to,' De Laurentiis dished to Dada, in reference to his sexual misconduct allegations. The 54-year-old says she asked Batali to write a foreword for her 2005 cookbook Everyday Italian , which was based on her first of many Food Network shows. She described Batali as 'a legend in the Italian space,' explaining, 'I felt like his stamp of approval would've been huge for me.' Batali agreed to write it, but De Laurentiis says result was unexpected. 'When I read it, I cried because I realized, 'Oh, he's basically saying that I've gotten to where I've gotten, and I've had this little bit of success that I had, because I have big boobs, and that if he had boobs, he would even be much further.'' She continued: 'Because I'm like, a joke, right? Like, to him, it was like a little bit of a joke.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The celebrity chef recalled calling her editor 'in tears,' because this was not something she was used to. 'So now what do I do?' she remembers saying. De Laurentiis detailed that she and her editor rewrote the foreword and sent it back to Batali for approval. 'But I will never forget that that's basically what a lot of people figured — cute girl with big boobs, so that's why they're watching her,' she said. RECOMMENDED VIDEO The foreword that was ultimately published in her first of 11 cookbook so far reads: 'It turns out that Giada is smart, Italian-speaking, and family-oriented — the three qualities my grandma hoped I'd find in a girl to marry. (Too late for that.) She's also a great cook, highly knowledgeable about food, and a huge amount of fun to be around — the three qualities I'd hope to find in a television partner.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Batali was first accused of sexual harassment and assault in December 2017. In May 2022, he agreed to settle lawsuits by two women alleging he sexually assaulted them in separate encounters in Boston, one of whose accusations were the focus of a #MeToo-era criminal prosecution that ended in his acquittal. Batali formerly ran the B&B Hospitality Group with restaurateur and Masterchef judge Joe Bastianich but was bought out from the company following the allegations. Read More Bastianich's mother, renowned chef and principle of B&B Lidia Bastianich, told the Toronto Sun 's Rita DeMontis in 2018 that the allegations against Batali were 'addressed immediately and actions put in place to assure the people working for the company that this would not be tolerated.' She admitted that she was devastated by the reports, calling Batali 'part of the family.' Batali was fired from ABC's The Chew while Food Network halted plans to release episodes of his show, Molto Mario , after the allegations. De Laurentiis' Everyday Italian ran for 12 seasons, while also appearing in a number of other series over the years before leaving the network in 2023. She has since released her latest cookbook, Super-Italian and is focused on her lifestyle brand, Giadzy. Other Sports Ontario World Celebrity Toronto & GTA
USA Today
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Why Giada De Laurentiis 'cried' because of disgraced ex-Food Network star Mario Batali
Giada De Laurentiis is slamming disgraced chef Mario Batali. The former Food Network star appeared on Samah Dada's "On the Menu" YouTube show and detailed how she wanted the now-embattled Batali to pen the foreword for her debut cookbook "Everyday Italian" released in 2005. "This is a person we're not supposed to talk about, but we're going to," De Laurentiis teased during the episode about Batali, once one of the most famous Italian chefs in the world. De Laurentiis told Dada that she asked Batali to write the foreword because he was "a legend in the Italian space" and she "felt like his stamp of approval would've been huge for me." Mario Batali exits restaurant business 15 months after sexual misconduct allegations But the "Giada at Home" alum said she "cried" when she read it "because I realized, 'Oh, he's basically saying that I've gotten to where I've gotten, and I've had this little bit of success that I had, because I have big boobs, and that if he had boobs, he would even be much further.'" USA TODAY has reached out to reps for Batali for comment. "He wrote that in the foreword?" Dada asked. "Yes," De Laurentiis said, adding that Batali did it "because I'm, like, a joke, right? Like, to him, it was like a little bit of a joke." After reading it, De Laurentiis called her editor "in tears" and said, "Clearly, I can't use this. So now what do I do?" Her editor chose to have the foreword rewritten and sent to Batali for approval. "That's basically what a lot of people figured. Cute girl with big boobs, so that's why they're watching her," De Laurentiis claimed people thought about her rise to fame. In 2023, De Laurentiis left her longtime home at the Food Network and now works primarily on her buzzy Italian food company Giadzy. In the published version of "Everyday Italian," Batali still made references to De Laurentiis' appearance, writing that she caught his eye while he was watching the Food Network and stopped on her show of the same name. "The first thing I noticed was that everything on the screen was beautiful — both the host and the food, which looked delicious and real and natural," Batali wrote. "Then I noticed that she really knew what she was talking about. And I realized that despite her movie-star looks, Giada isn't on television because she's merely attractive; she's a real Italian girl who can cook," Batali continued. "I was hooked." He also wrote that "it turns out that Giada is smart, Italian-speaking, and family-oriented — the three qualities my grandma hoped I'd find in a girl to marry. (Too late for that.) She's also a great cook, highly knowledgeable about food, and a huge amount of fun to be around — the three qualities I'd hope to find in a television partner." Mario Batali admitted to sexual harassment of multiple women Batali's downfall began in 2017 when the food website Eater New York posted a story featuring allegations by multiple anonymous women, including claims that he had groped their breasts or buttocks. "I apologize to the people I have mistreated and hurt," Eater quoted him as saying at the time. "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." "That behavior was wrong and there are no excuses," Batali continued. "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." Reports of his alleged sexual misconduct prompted police investigations. The internationally recognized chef was well-known to the general public after producing a plethora of cookbooks, launching a popular line of pasta sauces, opening his restaurants and making frequent TV appearances. He starred on the Food Network series "Molto Mario" and boasted a co-host gig on the now-cancelled ABC daytime show "The Chew," which also featured chefs Carla Hall and Michael Symon, wellness expert Daphne Oz, and "What Not to Wear" alum Clinton Kelly. Contributing: Nathan Bomey, Zlati Meyer
New York Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Giada De Laurentiis calls out Mario Batali for degrading her body in cookbook foreword
Giada De Laurentiis had a bad experience with Mario Batali. The Food Network star, 54, recently appeared on Samah Dada's YouTube show, 'On the Menu,' and recalled asking now-disgraced chef Mario Batali to write the foreword for her 2005 cookbook, 'Everyday Italian.' However, Batali's comments in the book were far from kind. Advertisement 8 Mario Batali and Giada De Laurentiis on 'The Chew' in 2014. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images 8 Giada De Laurentiis on Samah Dada's YouTube show. dadaeats/Tiktok 'This is a person we're not supposed to talk about, but we're going to,' De Laurentiis said about Batali, 64, in a TikTok clip from the episode. Advertisement De Laurentiis explained that she wanted Batali to write the foreword because, at the time, he was 'a legend in the Italian space' and she 'felt like his stamp of approval would've been huge for me.' @dadaeats can't believe giada shared this with me. a powerful conversation with one of my idols – thank you @Giada De Laurentiis for being so personal and vulnerable. full interview for @On The Menu linked in bio. #interview #foodnetwork #giada ♬ original sound – dadaeats 'When I read it, I cried because I realized, 'Oh, he's basically saying that I've gotten to where I've gotten, and I've had this little bit of success that I had, because I have big boobs, and that if he had boobs, he would even be much further,'' De Laurentiis shared. 'Because I'm like, a joke, right?' she said. 'Like, to him, it was like a little bit of a joke.' Advertisement 8 Giada De Laurentiis poses with a copy of her cookbook in 2005. Getty Images 8 Giada de Laurentiis' cookbook 'Everyday Italian.' Clarkson Potter The 'Giada at Home' host continued, 'And so I called my editor, and I was in tears. I'm like, clearly I can't use this. So now what do I do?' Ultimately, De Laurentiis' editor decided they would rewrite the foreword and send it to Batali for approval. Advertisement 8 Mario Batali poses in Santa Monica, Calif. in 2012. Getty Images 8 Giada De Laurentiis at the 'Ferrari' premiere in Los Angeles in Dec. 2023. Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock The final version of the foreword was extremely flattering to De Laurentiis. 'It turns out that Giada is smart, Italian-speaking, and family-oriented — the three qualities my grandma hoped I'd find in a girl to marry. (Too late for that.) She's also a great cook, highly knowledgeable about food, and a huge amount of fun to be around — the three qualities I'd hope to find in a television partner,' Batali's foreword reads, per Yahoo! Entertainment. 8 Mario Batali and Giada De Laurentiis on 'The Chew.' Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images The Post has reached out to Batali's rep for comment. Batali has been out of the spotlight since he was accused of sexual harassment and assault by several women at the height of the #MeToo movement in 2017. 8 Mario Batali at Boston Municipal Court on May 24, 2019. AFP via Getty Images Advertisement The 'Iron Chef America' star issued a public apology in the wake of the allegations, writing 'My behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility.' Batali faced criminal charges of indecent assault and battery in a Boston court for groping one woman but was ultimately found not guilty of criminal charges. Two women filed lawsuits against him that were settled. In 2019, he sold his stake in his restaurant empire.
