alison roman

After a Swift Internet Backlash, Alison Roman Apologizes to Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo

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Chef and cookbook author Alison Roman has issued a public apology to Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo, after calling both women “sellouts” in an interview with The New Consumer. Her rude comments have been met with swift and merciless internet justice, which roundly roasted her for speaking ill of the two successful women of color.

It’s especially galling in light of the fact that Teigen is one of the executive producers of Roman’s upcoming TV show. Also, the argument of “selling out” is such a middle school slam, a term bandied about by people of privilege who are jealous of other people’s success. “Selling out” is also known as “making a living,” and slamming women for being successful and turning their skills into empires reeks of envy and immaturity. Especially when Roman herself is aiming to do the exact same thing with her own line of cooking tools and a series of antique spoons. *rolls eyes*

After some flippant remarks about the controversy, Roman (or her handlers) reversed course and the chef released a long apology to Twitter.

The New York Times columnist wrote, “I need to formally apologize to Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo. I used their names disparagingly to try and distinguish myself, which I absolutely do not have an excuse for … I need to learn, and respect, the difference between being unfiltered and honest vs. being uneducated and flippant.”

Roman also discussed her insecurity and acknowledged her white privilege in the apology, writing, “My inability to appreciate my own success without comparing myself and knocking others down—in this case two accomplished women—is something I recognize I most definitely struggle with, and am working to fix. I don’t want to be a person like that.”

She continued, “I’m a white woman who has and will continue to benefit from white privilege and I recognize that makes what I said even more inexcusable and hurtful, … The fact that it didn’t occur to me that I had singled out two Asian women is one hundred percent a function of my privilege (being blind to racial insensitivities is a discriminatory luxury).”

Teigen responded to the apology in her typical witty and self-effacing style, tweeting:

It’s a thoughtful response to the internet shitstorm Teigen has found herself in, and a valuable lesson that Roman is now learning. With great celebrity comes great responsibility to not make an ass of yourself and offend people. Ironically, Roman’s jabs at Teigen and Kondo over authenticity come from a place where we equate “telling it like it is” with some greater honesty. When in fact, it’s just being rude and makes you look like an ass. It’s called being professional, people.

Teigen ended her thread with a reference to Marie Kondo, who decided that none of this sparked joy and refused to involve herself in the drama.

(via CNN, image: screencap/Delish)

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Chelsea Steiner
Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.