Mario Batali says it's been a 'bad year,' claims he's 'not going to live life in public anymore'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Disgraced celebrity chef Mario Batali made a rare public statement one year after being accused of sexual misconduct, declaring that although he is a “lucky man,” 2018 has been a “bad year” and that he is “not going to live life in public anymore.”
New York Magazine published a story by Eric Konigsberg on Sunday, detailing the writer’s road trip to Northport, Mich., to speak with the former Food Network star, 12 months after Eater broke the bombshell report that Batali had been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. According to the magazine, Batali has been keeping a low profile on the Leelanau Peninsula, where he and his family have owned a summer home since 2003.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}When Konigsberg ran into the 58-year-old chef in the village’s town green, dressed in his signature fleece vest and Crocs, the former restaurateur declined Konigsberg’s request for an interview: “I’m not going to live my life in public anymore,” he said.
He did say he planned to stay in the Wolverine state “at least until the end of the year.”
“I’m a lucky man,” Batali reportedly said. “Well, it’s been a bad year, a bad year.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Batali first announced he would be stepping away from the “day-to-day operations” of his entire restaurant group in December 2017, following Eater's initial report. Additional accusations of inappropriate behavior surfaced in the following weeks, including accounts from a former Del Posto hostess who said Batali touched her breasts, and that of a former manager at celebrity hot-spot The Spotted Pig who claimed to have seen Batali grope and kiss a woman who appeared unconscious.
Amid the accusations, ABC relieved Batali of his co-hosting duties on ABC’s “The Chew,” and a revival of his “Molto Mario” series on the Food Network was canceled.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In April, the New York Times further reported that Batali was “actively exploring” ideas for his future career. Following the latest allegations, Batali said in a statement that he is “not attempting a professional comeback,” but rather a “personal path forward” in which he “can continue in by charitable endeavors.”
Fox News’ Michael Bartiromo contributed to this report.