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The Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
John Torode: What has MasterChef host said about fired co-star Gregg Wallace
Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Controversy around MasterChef has deepened after it emerged that a complaint about the use of racially inappropriate language had been upheld against host John Torode. The TV presenter said he had 'no recollection of the incident' and was 'shocked and saddened' by the allegation, in a statement on Instagram on Monday (14 July). It comes after the outcome of an investigation into Gregg Wallace was released, confirming that 45 allegations against the host had been upheld, including one of unwelcome physical contact. Of the 83 claims made against Wallace, several instances of inappropriate sexual language and humour were substantiated. The investigation's overview said that a 'smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also' upheld. However, the relationship between Torode and Wallace, who have both presented the revamped cooking programme since 2005, has always been slightly more complicated. July 2025 – Torode responds to allegations of 'racial language' In response to accusations of racist language, Torode wrote: '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. 'For the sake of transparency, I confirm that I am the individual who is alleged to have used racial language on one occasion. 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. '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. I'm shocked and saddened by the allegation as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence.' open image in gallery Torode and Wallace appear to have a complex relationship ( PA ) December 2024 – Host releases statement following Wallace scandal Relations between Wallace and the BBC turned sour after allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour emerged last year. At the time, Torode released a statement saying that the accusations had been 'truly upsetting'. 'The thought of anyone who has appeared on our show not having a brilliant experience is awful to hear,' he wrote in a post on Instagram. 'Since last Friday I have been away filming MasterChef overseas. I love my job, and I love MasterChef. I love being part of it and will continue to be part of it. During the last few days, I've been trying to make the best cookery programme, so being busy making the show and caring for our contestants has allowed me little time to think about anything else, but that has been hard. 'But as I hope everyone appreciates there is an investigation under way, which I fully support, so I cannot make any further comment at this stage and I hope that you all understand and respect my silence on the matter moving forward.' open image in gallery John Torode has said he will continue to be part of MasterChef (PA) ( PA Media ) June 2023 - Torode admits they have an unconventional friendship "He's a friend, don't get me wrong, but I don't go to the pub with him, we've both not been to each other's houses... we just don't do it,' he told the Desert Island Dishes podcast. He added the pair have 'great respect for each other'. 2017 - 'Never been friends' statement The host caused a stir when he told The Mirror that he had never been friends with Wallace. 'It's funny, we've never been friends. We've not been to each other's houses. If we go away to somewhere like South Africa, we do things separately. If we do go out for a drink, I'll invariably be at one end of a big old table and he'll be at the other.' open image in gallery Torode has previously said the pair have 'never been friends' ( PA Archive ) Wallace later told Lorraine: 'I film with John six or seven months of the year, so we are very close to each other physically, and emotionally we are very close to each other. What's great about having a partnership is that if one of you is a bit off, a bit down, the other one naturally steps up, so I rely on John a lot.' 2016 - Torode is best man at Wallace's wedding When Wallace married Anne-Marie Sterpini in 2016, he picked Torode as his best man for the occasion, despite Torode's apparent attempts to distance himself. open image in gallery ( Yui Mok/PA Wire ) March 2013 - Torode tells The Independent he had doubts about Wallace when they met 'In 2005 I was asked to go to an interview about some cooking show and Karen Ross, the boss at Shine, the production company involved, said: 'I'd love you to do it, but I need to audition people to partner you with.' I had everyone from AA Gill to Oliver Peyton,' he explained. "One day she asked, 'Do you know a guy called Gregg Wallace?' I had reservations, as Gregg was large, boisterous and noisy. Actually, nothing has changed, except no one anticipated the success the show would have." He added: "We used to argue about stuff, as we're both so opinionated. In the first series it was over Thomasina Miers who went on to win that series."
The Independent
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Love Island USA's Yulissa reveals how producers quietly removed her from the show over racial slurs
Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Former Love Island USA contestant Yulissa Escobar has opened up about her unceremonious exit from the show's seventh season after videos of her making racial slurs resurfaced online. Escobar, who was one of 10 original singletons to join the reality series' current season, was quietly removed last month in episode two. At the time, the show's narrator, Iain Stirling, simply stated that 'Yulissa has left the villa,' without further elaborating. It was later reported that her departure came amid immense fan backlash over old podcast clips showing her using the N-word. The Miami-born entrepreneur has now spoken out in a new TikTok video to share the 'real story' of her exit. She prefaced the video, admitting that while she 'can't share certain things,' she 'will share the majority of what happened.' Yulissa Escobar was booted from season seven of 'Love Island USA' after racist comments she made resurfaced ( Peacock ) 'So, regular ass day. I did not wake up in the middle of the night, they didn't get me in the f***ing morning. They didn't drag my ass out of bed,' Escobar explained. She said she was sitting and waiting with the other contestants for the arrival of bombshells Cierra and Charlie, when she was then called to the front to meet with the producers, expecting it was just to film a confessional. But she soon realized 'something serious was happening' when a producer asked her to take off her mic. 'I honestly got scared, I thought something was happening with a family member or something. I didn't know what was going on,' Escobar said. 'They didn't really tell me anything, they just said, you know, a video resurfaced [on the] internet and it's not looking too good.' Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. She explained that at that point, because she didn't have her phone, she wasn't sure what video they were referring to. After the producers confirmed she was being sent home, she was taken to a hotel and left without her phone for two days while awaiting the release of the two episodes she appeared in. During that time, she 'was losing my f***ing mind because I didn't know what was going on. I just knew that there was a video out there. 'So finally, I got my phone back, and when I got my phone back, I was like, 'Holy s*** no way,' and it was a lot. It was a lot to take in,' she said, adding that she continued to frantically search her name on the web. 'And I was like, f***, no. I can't believe people think I'm racist. I mean, I get it, I said a word that I should have not said,' Escobar acknowledged. 'I wish I would have never said that,' she said. 'It is what it is. I can't go back in time. I am sorry that I said that word.' Escobar previously addressed the controversy in a June Instagram post, apologizing for using 'a word I never should've used, a racial slur.' 'I used it ignorantly, not fully understanding the weight, history, or pain behind it. I wasn't trying to be offensive or harmful, but I recognize now that intention doesn't excuse impact. And the impact of that word is real. It's tied to generations of trauma, and it is not mine to use,' she wrote. 'At the time, I was speaking casually in conversation, not thinking deeply or critically about what I was saying. But that doesn't take away from how wrong it was. The truth is, I didn't know better then, but I do now. I've taken the time to reflect, to learn, and to grow from that moment.'
