Man vs. Food Host's New Show on Hold After He Called Woman a "Cunt"
Adam Richman, a man who eats sandwiches professionally, was scheduled to eat some other things professionally today as part of a new show called Man Finds Food. That's no longer going to happen, because the Man vs. Food host started an Instagram flame war that culminated in his calling a woman a "cunt."
The Travel Channel "suddenly" announced this week that Man Finds Food would be postponed indefinitely, the Washington Post reports. Although the announcement didn't mention Richman's behavior on Instagram earlier this month, there's no other obvious reason the network would pull a new show starring one of its most successful hosts.
The shitstorm started when Richman, who has apparently won his ongoing battle vs. food, celebrated his dramatic weight loss with an Instagram pic.
"Had ordered this suit from a Saville Row tailor over a year ago. Think I'm gonna need to take it in a little…#Victory #EyesOnThePrize #AnythingIsPossible #fitness #transformation #thinspiration."
Richman apparently wasn't aware of the connotation "thinspiration" carries—it's so closely associated with eating disorders that Instagram shows a "content advisory" when you click on the hashtag.
When someone tried to explain that to him, he replied, "Do I look like I give a fuck?"
Then this total meltdown happened, as captured by xoJane writer Amber Sarah, one of the women who called Richman out:
"Maybe you'll acknowledge that just because someone is on TV, they are no less worthy of human kindness, respect, forgiveness or patience…Give me a fucking break," Richman wrote. "If anyone acts like a cunt I'll call them one. It's not misogyny, it's calling a spade a spade. Maybe you're the one being aggressive & unfair - and yes, if my use of the hashtag offended you, it was unintentional & for that I'm sorry."
Aside from the "cunt" comment, he also told other women who took issue with his use of #thinspiration to kill themselves, eat a bag of dicks, or just retroactively not be born. Seems like a pretty nice guy.
Although he said in the heat of the moment that "no apology is coming," he's changed his mind now that his show has been pulled.
"I've long struggled with my body image and have worked very hard to achieve a healthy weight. I'm incredibly sorry to everyone I've hurt," Richman said, in a statement to Good Morning America yesterday.
There are no winners here, unless you happen to like American Grilled, the competitive grilling show that just took Richman's Wednesday night time slot.
