British TV host is under fire for his response to multiple sexual misconduct allegations made against him.
The MasterChef host announced last week that he was stepping down from his role as the show’s cohost after BBC News reported 13 allegations of sexual misconduct against Wallace, 60, which apparently occurred over a 17-year period.
Wallace’s lawyers denied the allegations to BBC News at the time. The television host has since taken to social media and addressed the claims.
“I’ve been doing MasterChef for 20 years — amateur, professional and Celebrity MasterChef — and I think in that time I have worked with over 4,000 contestants of all different ages, all different backgrounds, all walks of life,” Wallace stated in a video shared via Instagram late last month. “Apparently now, I’m reading in the paper, there’s been 13 complaints in that time.”
He concluded, “Now, in the newspaper I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isn’t right. In over 20 years of television, can you imagine how many women, female contestants on MasterChef, have made sexual remarks or sexual innuendo — can you imagine?”
The response appeared to be referring to one allegation from former U.K. Celebrity MasterChef contestant . She claimed that on two occasions, Wallace made a joke of a “sexualized nature” in front of the show’s cast and crew. Other allegations claimed Wallace took his shirt off in front of a female coworker and told a separate colleague he wasn’t wearing underwear.
Wallace received backlash for his initial reaction to the allegations. On Monday, December 2, he apologized in a separate video.
“I want to apologize for any offense that I caused with my post yesterday and any upset I may have caused to a lot of people,” he said. “I wasn’t in a good head space when I posted it, I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, I felt very alone, under siege yesterday when I posted it. It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out now while this investigation is underway. I hope you understand, and I do hope you accept this apology.”
The Banijay U.K. production company has confirmed that they are investigating any and all allegations against Wallace.
“Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay U.K., we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate,” their statement read, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “While this review is under way, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully co-operating throughout the process.”
They added, “Banijay U.K.’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behavior are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set. Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.”
