Chrissy Teigen has taken to Twitter to express her deep dismay after NY Times food writer and Nothing Fancy author Alison Roman trashed her in a recent interview, saying that she “genuinely loved” Roman before the comments appeared in print.
In a wide-ranging profile published by The New Consumer, Roman spoke about her upcoming cookware capsule collection and TV series. She also expressed a deep distaste for the way celebrities like Teigen have parlayed their own success into similar areas, saying:
“Like, what Chrissy Teigen has done is so crazy to me. She had a successful cookbook. And then it was like: Boom, line at Target. Boom, now she has an Instagram page that has over a million followers where it’s just, like, people running a content farm for her. That horrifies me and it’s not something that I ever want to do. I don’t aspire to that. But like, who’s laughing now? Because she’s making a ton of fucking money.”
The comments appeared to blindside Chrissy Teigen, who took to Twitter to say that it was a “huge bummer” to see herself portrayed in such a negative light by someone she admired.
this is a huge bummer and hit me hard. I have made her recipes for years now, bought the cookbooks, supported her on social and praised her in interviews. I even signed on to executive produce the very show she talks about doing in this article. https://t.co/9xrvQBInAp
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) May 8, 2020
In a lengthy twitter thread, she wrote:
“[This] is a huge bummer and hit me hard. I have made her recipes for years now, bought the cookbooks, supported her on social and praised her in interviews. I even signed on to executive produce the very show she talks about doing in this article.”
She went on to defend her blog, Cravings by Chrissy Teigen, saying:
“I started cravings because I wanted something for myself. I wanted something John didn’t buy, I wanted something to do that calmed me, made me happy and made others happy, too. Cravings isn’t a “machine” or “farmed content” – it’s me and 2 other women.”
She continued:
“I didn’t “sell out” by making my dreams come true. To have a cookware line, to get to be a part of that process start to finish, to see something go from sketch to in my hands, I love that … This “farm” you think of doesn’t exist. I am the farm. I am the cows the horses the pigs.”
Clearly stung, she went on to say:
“I genuinely loved everything about Alison. Was jealous she got to have a book with food on the cover instead of a face!! I’ve made countless NYT recipes she’s created, posting along the way. I don’t think I’ve ever been so bummed out by the words of a fellow food-lover. I just had no idea I was perceived that way, by her especially.”
Aside from her criticism of Chrissy Teigen, Alison Roman also had some choice words for Marie Kondo. She accused the Tidying Up star of selling out with her product line, saying:
“[The] idea that when Marie Kondo decided to capitalize on her fame and make stuff that you can buy, that is completely antithetical to everything she’s ever taught you… I’m like, damn, bitch, you fucking just sold out immediately! Someone’s like “you should make stuff,” and she’s like, “okay, slap my name on it, I don’t give a shit!””
Roman has since taken to Twitter to defend herself, claiming:
“I want to clarify, I am not coming for anyone who’s successful, especially not women. I was trying to clarify that my business model does not include a product line, which work very well for some, but I don’t see working for me.”
https://twitter.com/alisoneroman/status/1258840368893886465
After calling Marie Kondo a sell-out, Roman appeared to mock her English proficiency, saying: “For the low, low price of $19.99, please to buy my cutting board!”
Roman has since claimed that this remark was an “inside joke” that did not translate well to print and that she is “embarrassed” by it:
I was def not mocking anyone or anyone’s accent- the “please to” was from an eastern european cookbook called “please to the table,” which my friends and I love. We say “please to” as an inside joke that clearly does not travel well- I realize how that reads and feel embarrassed!
— alison roman (@alisoneroman) May 8, 2020
The New Consumer article has since been amended to remove the “please to”, and the sentence in question now reads “… please buy my cutting board!”
Either way, it appears that Chrissy Teigen is happy to wash her hands of all of this. In her final tweet on the matter, she tagged Alison Roman and said “now that’s out there, I guess we should probably unfollow each other.”
anyhow. now that that’s out there, I guess we should probably unfollow each other @alisoneroman
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) May 8, 2020
Roman has since reached out to apologise:
https://twitter.com/alisoneroman/status/1258946786061881344
