The BBC has asked John Torode to resign from MasterChef after the star was accused of racism, it has been reported.
MasterChef star John, 59, has since issued a statement on Instagram, hitting back at the allegations. It comes following Gregg Wallace‘s axing.
John Torode dragged into MasterChef drama with Gregg Wallace
Over the past few months, Gregg Wallace has come under fire amid allegations of inappropriate behaviour and language.
Banijay, the production company behind MasterChef, launched a probe.
Last week, it was announced that Gregg had been sacked from the show. In an update, many shocking findings have been revealed from the report. 45 of the allegations, that span a period between 2005 and 2024, were upheld.
The report also upheld a complaint that an unnamed person used a racial phrase once several years ago. John Torode has since confirmed to The Sun, and on Instagram, that the unnamed person was, in fact, him.
A source said: “He was at drinks after filming when he is alleged to have used an inappropriate racial term. The witness said he apologised instantly, and he was mortified. The witness even stated he didn’t use the term as a slur.
“No one complained at the time, but it’s been brought up during the inquiry. Shockingly, he was only made aware of the incident two weeks ago and was only informed on Friday that it would be upheld,” they then said.
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What did John Torode say?
The Sun has also claimed that the BBC and Banijay asked John to resign over the weekend. They also allegedly told MasterChef star John Torode to pretend he had mental health issues after being accused of racism. However, he refused.
“They ambushed him, and it was suggested he quit due to the stress and scrutiny of the furore around the show. Obviously he was absolutely shocked and appalled and told them quite firmly he didn’t have any mental health issues. To try to use mental health as a get-out clause seems incredibly low — and is also deeply unfair to those with genuine mental health trauma,” they said.
They went on to say that John “loves” his job and doesn’t want to lose it because of an investigation into his co-star.
In a statement on Instagram last night (Monday, July 14), John confirmed he was the person accused of saying a racial phrase. However, he claimed he does not “believe it happened”.
“Following publication of the Executive Summary of the Investigation into Gregg Wallace while working on MasterChef, I am aware of speculation that I am one of the two other individuals against whom an allegation has been upheld,” he wrote.
“For the sake of transparency, I confirm that I am the individual who is alleged to have used racial language on one occasion,” he then continued.
‘I would never wish to cause offence’
The statement then continued.
“The allegation is that I did so sometime in 2018 or 2019, in a social situation, and that the person I was speaking with did not believe that it was intended in a malicious way and that I apologised immediately afterwards,” he said.
“I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe that it happened. However, I want to be clear that I’ve always had the view that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment,” he then wrote.
“I’m shocked and saddened by the allegation as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence.”
The BBC refused to comment. ED! has contacted Banijay for comment.
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