As if these times aren't dark enough already, Chrissy Teigen, supermodel, cookbook author, and Instagram-famous mom, has announced she's taking a break from Twitter. The announcement comes on the heels of a drama stirred up by popular food writer Alison Roman, who criticized Teigen, as well as Marie Kondo, in an article which riled up Twitter late last week.
Roman is a New York Times food columnist, chef, and cookbook author.
In an article published Thursday in The New Consumer, she basically called Chrissy Teigen a huge sellout, 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.
I’m more interested in expanding myself as a writer. My next book is going to be narrative nonfiction — essays and short stories and stuff.
Roman also went after beloved minimalist Marie Kondo, calling her a sellout, too:
Like 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!”
The backlash was fierce. And many people pointed out that Roman's choice to specifically to call out two women of color reeks of racism, hypocrisy, and white privilege.
While others noted that Roman comes off as jealous of Chrissy's success and popularity.
And others criticized her for playing into the sexist narrative of "I'm not like the other girls!"
But Chrissy clearly took the criticism to heart. She responded over the weekend, calling the article a "huge bummer," especially since she herself was a fan of Alison Roman.
In a heartfelt thread, Teigen explained why she started her company based on her cookbook, Cravings, responding to Roman's accusations that it's a "content machine."
She said that she doesn't think she's ever been "so bummed out by the words of a fellow food-lover," and that she had "no idea" she was "perceived that way."
Roman dug her heels in. She first claimed that she was being "bullied" for her honesty about money, and complained she has no one to "hold her hand" during the backlash.
This drew further criticism:
She then followed up with what reads as a genuine apology towards both Teigen and Marie Kondo, calling her own comments "flippant" and "careless."
But apparently the damage was already done. Following the initial wave of support for Teigen, she then received a wave of backlash from people claiming she "deserved" Roman's criticism.
Yesterday, Teigen announced she'd be taking a break from Twitter, saying people went so far as to criticize her kids, calling them "petri dish babies," and spread rumors linking her to "Epstein island."
For those who are left "craving" (tee hee) Chrissy Teigen content, she's still posting on Instagram. Luckily the drama doesn't seem to have stopped her from doing what she loves: cooking, and momm'ing.