US Bake Off is cancelled after sexual harassment allegations made towards judge Johnny Iuzzini
The US version of The Great British Bake Off has come to a halt after allegations of sexual misconduct were levelled at judge Jonny Iuzzini during his time as at the Jean-Georges restuarant in Trump International Hotel and Tower, New York.
Iuzzini judges The Great American Baking Show alongside judge Paul Hollywood, who also judges Channel 4's Great British Bake Off.
US website Mic reports that four former employees of Iuzzini have allegedly been assaulted or harassed by the celebrity pastry chef. One said that she left her job "because of the way he treated me" after Iuzzini repeatedly put his "tongue in her ear". She was among two pastry chefs and two externs – unpaid staff – who came forward with allegations of misconduct by Iuzzini between 2009 and 2011.
Iuzzini denied several of their allegations and released a statement to Mic saying he was: "shattered and heartbroken at the thought that any of my actions left members of my team feeling hurt or degraded.”
He continued: "Many of the other allegations are inaccurate, others I do not recall and none were meant to hurt people."
ABC, the US TV network that broadcasts The Great American Baking Show, said it would not be releasing the rest of its filmed third series of the competition in light of the allegations. It also said it would no longer be working with Iuzzini.
The network's statement read: "In light of allegations that recently came to our attention, ABC has ended its relationship with Johnny Iuzzini and will not be airing the remainder of The Great American Baking Show episodes.
ABC takes matters such as those described in the allegations very seriously and has come to the conclusion that they violate our standards of conduct."
The third season of the show began only last week, on December 7. It was somewhat of a coup for Hollywood, for whom the judging position was seen as a second attempt to find fame in America after he was dropped from judging The American Baking Competition with Marcela Valladolid, with whom he had an extra-marital affair.
Hollywood is yet to comment on the situation.
