The Chew has been canceled, ABC News reports. The news comes five months after cohost Mario Batali was fired following allegations of sexual misconduct.
Staffers were told in an official meeting on Wednesday, May 23, that the show was canceled by the network, a source tells Us Weekly. The decision was made because Good Morning America is expanding to include a third hour of programming, which will take over The Chew’s time slot when it premieres in September.
A source tells Us that staffers were “completely blindsided” by the cancellation: “The staff is very close and many of them have summer trips planned over what they thought would be a temporary hiatus.”
“They were under the impression that the show was still strong and would continue,” the source adds. “Ticket requests to see the show in studio were still strong, and their celeb bookings were still competitive in the daytime landscape.”
The Chew will air until September, with new episodes returning in June. The show is currently in its seventh season and has banked 1,454 episodes in its run.
Ben Sherwood, the co-chairman of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney|ABC Television, lauded the food talk-show, according to ABC News: “While this is the right decision for our business, it is also bittersweet. For seven years The Chew has delighted audiences by delivering innovative food segments in an entertaining atmosphere. We applaud and thank Gordon Elliott, Aimee Householder, Michael Symon, Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly and the entire cast and crew for their great work and amazing run. And we wish them the very best.”
Elliott, the show’s creator and executive producer, was grateful to the network for taking a chance on the series. “Before The Chew, no one had attempted a talk/food hybrid,” he said. “Our hosts Clinton, Carla and Michael and the staff created television history executing the show as well as they did for all these years. I know I speak for all of the people who work on the show when I say it was the best television we have ever had the privilege to produce.”
Batali — who cohosted The Chew with Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly and Michael Symon — is not mentioned in either statement. The 57-year-old chef was fired from The Chew in December 2017 following allegations of sexual misconduct made against him. “Upon completing its review into the allegations made against Mario Batali, ABC has terminated its relationship with him and he will no longer appear on The Chew,” an ABC spokesperson said in a statement at the time. “While we remain unaware of any type of inappropriate behavior involving him and anyone affiliated with our show, ABC takes matters like this very seriously as we are committed to a safe work environment and his past behavior violates our standards of conduct.” Batali apologized for his behavior, though he claimed to not know his accusers.
Hall revealed to Us exclusively earlier this month that there were no plans to hire a replacement for Batali.
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