Friday, February 29
Robert Irvine's Contract Will Not be Renewed
Well Robert, this was one mission you weren't able to weasel out of.
Brooke Johnson, president, Food Network, today announced that Robert Irvine's contract would not be renewed for future seasons. This comes on the heels of the network's investigation into the
alleged embellishments to his resume.
Here's the full statement by Brooke Johnson:
We looked into the situation and found that, as Robert has already admitted, there were some embellishments and inaccuracies in his resume. The few and minor incidents of the inclusion of these embellishments into ‘Dinner Impossible’ have been removed. The show is, and has always been, completely accurate in the depiction of the cooking challenges faced by Robert. We will continue airing both old shows and the new season of programs currently in production. We have not renewed Robert's contract for future seasons but will fulfill our contractual obligations. We rely on the trust that our viewers have in the accuracy of the information we present, and Robert challenged that trust. We appreciate Robert's remorse about his actions, and we can revisit this decision at the end of the production cycle, but for now we will be looking for a replacement host."
Robert Irvine Statement:
"I was wrong to exaggerate in statements related to my experiences regarding the Royal Family. I am proud of my work while serving in the Royal Navy and on board the Royal Yacht Britannia, also as part of the Guest Chef program in the White House with the United States Navy, in addition to my culinary accomplishments. I should have stood on those accomplishments alone, without embellishment. I remain committed and enthusiastic about my work with Food Network and other future endeavors. I am truly sorry for the errors in my judgment. To all my family, friends and loyal fans, I will work tirelessly to regain your trust and continue to use my show and life to benefit the less fortunate."
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Interesting to see that Johnson says they can "revisit this decision at the end of the production cycle." For some reason this reminds me of the whole Larry Craig "I will resign" thing, only to have him end up
NOT resigning once things calmed down. Not saying that's how things will pan out... just interesting they threw that line in there.
