The Food Network host, Michael Chiarello was accused of sexual harassment in a lawsuit from two female servers at one of his restaurants. According to the court documents, which Eater published in 2015, it was alleged that Chiarello harassed female employees and created a “sexually charged, hostile, and abusive environment.” In one purported example, he was said to have maintained a hiring policy that encouraged managers to only hire women that they were attracted to, allegedly insisting, “If you don’t want to f*** them, don’t hire them.” He was also accused of making homophobic quips about the sex lives of his restaurant’s gay male servers, with one male worker also alleging that Chiarello had groped him non-consensually during one such comment. To top it off, he was also accused of failing to pay wages properly.
In a statement supplied to Eater, the chef’s publicist denied the incriminating claims, stating, “The allegations are not only upsetting to [Chiarello], they are also against his core beliefs.” The chef reportedly saw himself as a mentor to all of his employees and an ambassador for the good old-fashioned values that he learned from his Italian immigrant mother, who first taught him how to cook. “Mr. Chiarello intends to vigorously defend himself, his reputation, and his team against these unfounded claims in a court of law,” his publicist added. In the end, the Italian-American cook and his former employees settled for an undisclosed sum out of court, according to the North Bay Business Journal.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
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