Bon Appétit star Claire Saffitz says she was 'aware of the toxic, racist' culture at the publication
- Claire Saffitz, a contributing editor and YouTube personality at Bon Appétit, is the lastest person to speak out against a culture that employees of color have called "toxic."
- In an Instagram post, she said she was aware of some of the "racist, secret, and ultra-competitive" behavior in the workplace, but she'd "missed" critical instances of discrimination.
- The pastry chef said she planned to "do the work of repair" to earn her colleagues' respect as an ally.
- Saffitz's note follows a turbulent week for Condé Nast and Bon Appétit, as multiple employees have made — or been subjects of — accusations of discrimination.
Following a flurry of accusations of discrimination at Condé Nast's elite food publication Bon Appétit, another high-profile personality associated with the brand is condemning the company's behavior. Contributing editor Claire Saffitz, a pastry chef who has developed an enthusiastic fandom after starring in several of Bon Appétit's YouTube series, is the latest food personality to speak out against the culture that former and current employees have called "toxic" and riddled with microaggressions.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, the "Gourmet Makes" host wrote that she had spent the past few days "searching for words" to address the ongoing controversy surrounding the publication. Ultimately, she said, she rejected the advice she'd been given about how to handle the situation in order to avoid re-sharing the "trite and hollow" promises about "listening" and "doing better."
Statements of solidarity, she continued, "don't matter without sustained and meaningful action."
"The point of this post is not to perform an apology or save face, it's not about view counts or likes," she wrote. "It's about complicity and accountability."
As an employee, she revealed, she was aware of some of the "toxic, racist, secret, and ultra-competitive" environment at Bon Appétit, but she also "missed a lot."
"I should have seen it earlier and used my platform and clout to push back against leadership," she wrote, acknowledging that her privilege — racial, educational, and economic — helped her "enter and succeed in a toxic system."
She went on to address some of the specific accusations made by her colleagues, Sohla El-Waylly and Christina Chaey, who wrote in recent Instagram stories that they were not compensated for their video work. Saffitz said that as a freelance video host, she "exempted [herself] from action," failing to inquire further about her colleagues' compensation when inviting them to appear in her Gourmet Makes videos.
"I valued the talent and skill of the crew behind the scenes as well, but didn't act to make their work more recognized," she said of her behavior.
Ultimately, Saffitz said, she felt "deeply sh---y" about the situation, but pledged to put her feelings aside to "do the work of repair."
"I only hope that through sustained learning/unlearning/relearning I can better show up for people who I deeply respect, and eventually earn their respect as an ally," she concluded.
The post appeared to resonate with Saffitz's fans and colleagues alike.
"I see you and see the hard work you're engaging in offline," Chaey commented on the post, adding two heart emojis.
"Appreciate you not using this as a chance for everyone to pitty you or use 'white tears,'" one commenter wrote. "Hopeful that good changes are coming."
Saffitz's post follows a tumultuous week for Bon Appétit in which high-profile leaders at the publication have been accused of discriminatory behavior and employees have called the outlet's work environment "toxic" for people of color.
On Monday, a photo of Bon Appetit editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport's offensive Halloween costume from 2004 surfaced online, sparking outrage and beginning a larger conversation about the publication's alleged history of inequality. Rapoport resigned later that evening.
Later in the week, problematic social media posts from other employees at the publication began circulating online. Alex Delany, the drinks editor at Bon Appétit, stirred up controversy when a Twitter user unearthed a 2010 photo from his Tumblr account featuring a Confederate-flag cake. The same day, Eater staff writer Elazar Sontag unearthed a 2013 Vine Video in which Delany used a homophobic slur. Meanwhile, another Twitter shared old tweets from Condé Nast executive Matt Duckor that contained homophobic and racist jokes. Both Delany and Duckor apologized for the offensive content — and Duckor left the company, according to an email from Condé Nast Entertainment's president, Oren Katzeff, obtained by Business Insider.
Meanwhile, 14 former and current employees of the company told Business Insider's Rachel Premack that they felt personally and professionally "slighted" while at the company, receiving contracts that were inferior to their white colleagues' and being excluded from "professional and social groups."
On Thursday, Bon Appétit issued a statement about the outlet's plans to "take ownership" of its mistakes and change its culture, centering nonwhite narratives and content and rebuilding trust among staff and freelancers.
"This is just the start," the statement read. "We want to be transparent, accountable, and active as we begin to dismantle racism at our brands."
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