BonAppetitScandal - Food Media Reckoning
June 2020 exposé of Bon Appétit’s pay inequity sparked industrywide reckoning about exploitation, racism, and labor practices in food media.
Timeline
June 8, 2020: Tammie Teclemariam tweets Adam Rapoport (EIC) brownface photo from 2004 (Puerto Rican stereotype costume). Rapoport resigns within hours. June 8-9: Sohla El-Waylly reveals she appeared in dozens of videos unpaid while white hosts earned $5K-$7K per video. BIPOC staffers echoed experiences. June-August: Mass exodus. Rapoport’s successor stepped down. Christina Chaey, Priya Krishna, Rick Martinez, Gaby Melian left. Claire Saffitz, Brad Leone, Molly Baz distanced themselves.
Systemic Issues
Pattern across food media: BIPOC chefs hired as “diversity,” underpaid, denied opportunities, tokenized in coverage. Sohla: “I’ve been pushed in front of video as a prop… The only
reason I was able to ask for a salary was that people fell in love with me.”
Industry Impact
Restaurants, cookbooks, food brands faced similar scrutiny. Alison Roman controversy (dismissing Chrissy Teigen/Marie Kondo), NYT Cooking team diversity questions. Calls for transparency in food media compensation.
Aftermath
BA Test Kitchen YouTube channel lost momentum. Sohla joined Food52, History Channel. Many staffers launched independent projects. Condé Nast hired Dawn Davis as new BA EIC (first Black EIC) but damage done.
Sources:
- Business Insider: Extensive reporting (2020)
- New York Times: “Bon Appétit and the Myth of Food Media” (2020)