Culture

Mario Batali's Apology Ended With A Cinnamon Roll Recipe And Twitter Burnt Him For It

Mario Batali Dreamstime
Elizabeth Licata|

Earlier this week Mario Batali stepped down from his restaurant empire and left The Chew after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct going back two decades. On Friday night, Batali issued an apology for what he called his "past behavior," and he shocked everybody by inexplicably including a recipe for cinnamon rolls.

Batali sent the apology in his email newsletter.

"As many of you know, this week there has been some news coverage about some of my past behavior," he wrote. "I have made many mistakes and I am so very sorry that I have disappointed my friends, my family, my fans and my team. My behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility. Sharing the joys of Italian food, tradition and hospitality with all of you, each week, is an honor and privilege. Without the support of all of you — my fans — I would never have a forum in which to expound on this."

Batali signed off, writing: "I will work every day to regain your respect and trust. -mb"

But then, for reasons he does not explain, Batali added a postscript to his apology for sexual misconduct to pitch a recipe for cinnamon rolls.

"ps. in case you're searching for a holiday-inspired breakfast, these Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls are a fan favorite," he added.

The Internet's reaction was swift and furious. Many people found the cinnamon roll apology tone-deaf, insincere, and among the worst apologies in recent memory.

Others pointed out that Batali had apologized to his friends, family, fans, and team, but he did not actually apologize to his alleged victims, or mention them at all.

According to Business Insider, Walmart and Target say they're cutting ties with Batali since the allegations came forth, and Eataly has taken all Batali's books and products off its shelves.

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