Anthony Bourdain on Mario Batali & Josh Homme: friends who did "awful things"
Television personality, author, former chef and general highly opinionated food-and-travel guy Anthony Bourdain has weighed in on friends Josh Homme and Mario Batali‘s recent scandals.
First up was Homme, a good friend who, along with his band Queens of The Stone Age, has appeared on Bourdain’s No Reservations series, and who kicked a photographer at a show this weekend.
By the time Bourdain tweeted about it, Josh had already issued his “weak” initial statement:
Waking up in Bhutan to the Josh Homme @QOTSA shit and still in the WTF!!!??!! Phase. Senseless. And a weak ass apology.
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017
I’m not going to deny that Josh Homme @qotsa is a friend any more than I’m going to deny that what he did was reckless, stupid and harmful
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017
Bourdain was more impressed with the follow up apology though:
It was reckless, stupid, and it hurt someone. But this is a good start at a way forward @qotsa https://t.co/bGMeCaLN5X
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017
Also Sunday night, he broke the story that he knew even more bad news was on the way:
..and Monday, I’m afraid, isn’t going to get any better .
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017
No. Trust me. Monday is really gonna suck .
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017
That ended up being this morning’s Eater story about superstar chef Mario Batali who has been accused by four women of “inappropriate touching” and other sexual misconduct over the last two decades. Mario is not denying it, and neither is Anthony:
It’s Batali. And it’s bad .
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017
Rather than denying it, Anthony is holding his two very famous friends accountable.
It’s where you stand when the people you care about and admire do awful things that matters. Keeping head down and hoping it goes away? No.
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017
Bourdain then admitted on Twitter that he got an advance notice of the charges against Batali, but then clarified that he only found out weeks ago, and that it wasn’t easy holding on to that information:
I wish that were true but in this case, I can assure you, from women talking to me with first hand stories, it’s not wonderful at all.
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017
..and like you, I’ve been sitting on stories that were not mine to tell . And feeling sick and guilty as fuck I hadn’t heard them before
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017
I only started hearing shit a few weeks ago. I’ve been out of the biz for nearly 20 years. But please. Go on
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017
No saint. And I truly felt that way. No denying it. But keeping secrets? No. Sorry. Didn’t
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017
Meanwhile, Mario Batali is stepping away from his company and all future projects are on hold, including the new episodes of the latest version of his TV show that were planned.
Music fans may especially remember an older episode that featured — speaking of rock star and chef BFFs — his good friend Michael Stipe:
Bono is also a buddy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrDzXqdGNgc
