Is The Great American Baking Show canceled? Episodes pulled
In a new statement via the network, the show confirmed that they have fired show judge Johnny Iuzzini following a Mic report highlighting multiple claims of sexual misconduct against him. Not only that, but they have axed the remainder of the show’s third season:
“In light of allegations that recently came to our attention, ABC has ended its relationship with Johnny Iuzzini and will not be airing the remainder of The Great American Baking Show episodes. ABC takes matters such as those described in the allegations very seriously and has come to the conclusion that they violate our standards of conduct. This season’s winner will be announced at a later date.”
The third season of the show last week, and we do certainly feel very bad that the eventual winner of this season gets the entire experienced soiled because of the reported actions of one man. Yet, we cannot lose sight of the fact that this is just a television show in comparison to serious allegations against a man who may have abused his power for personal gain. This is a situation real and important to society today. It’s a tough decision given the contestants and the crew who worked on the show, but it’s the right one to pull remaining episodes.
We should note that the accusations against Iuzzini took place as a part of his work in the New York restaurant scene, and not while he was working on the show.
So what about the show’s future?
This is not confirmation that The Great American Baking Show is canceled — it’s not. Our hope is that with this swift action the show can put this incident in the past and move forward with a new judge. What we’d like to see is some of the contestants this season invited back so that some of their creations can actually be seen on television. That would be the right thing to do as opposed to just making them pay the price now.
We’ll have some more news on the future of the show as it comes out.
As for if this is the end of powerful people losing their jobs / status in the midst of the #MeToo movement, it’s not — remember, earlier today Tavis Smiley was suspended from PBS after multiple reports of misconduct on and around the job.
What do you think about ABC’s decision? Be sure to share some of your thoughts in the comments below! (Photo: ABC.)