Chrissy Teigen Says Alison Roman's Comments About Her "Hit Hard"

(Image credit: Axelle-Bauer)

published 9 May 2020

In an interview with The New Consumer published Thursday, cookbook author, writer, and food personality Alison Roman had harsh words about the careers of both Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo, saying that Teigen's career "horrified" her and that Kondo was a sellout. Friday night, Teigen responded on Twitter, writing candidly that she hadn't "ever been so bummed out by the words of a fellow food-lover," and that, as a longtime fan of Roman's, she was hurt and disappointed. "It has been crappy to deal with this all day but I couldn't not say something," Teigen wrote.

Roman then responded on her own Twitter page, apologizing to Teigen and calling her initial comments "flippant" and "careless." But the damage had been done, with fans of Roman, Teigen, and Kondo all weighing in about how disappointed they were, and the internet turning on Roman, a beloved food personality known for her New York Times recipes. Here's how it all went down.

Roman compared her career to Teigen's and Kondo's.

Of Teigen, Roman said: "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."

Roman also had some harsh words for Kondo, saying: "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!'"

Twitter was furious about Roman's comments.

Even before Teigen weighed in, Twitter was defending the woman often called the "queen of Twitter," as well as Kondo.

Alison Roman thinking she can come for Chrissy Teigen is just adorableMay 9, 2020

Alison Roman has a cute aesthetic and her recipes are good but I never understood the hype. She’s the sort of flawlessly manicured white woman who seems like she never had to question where her food comes from or how much it costs and I want that perspective in food writingMay 9, 2020

Women should build other women up, this was definitely a disappointing article to readMay 9, 2020

Then Teigen weighed in on Twitter.

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/9xrvQBInApMay 8, 2020

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.May 8, 2020

And John Legend, of course, jumped in to tell her how amazing she is:

I love what you are building. I love that it comes straight from your heart and your brilliant, creative mind. I'm so proud of youMay 9, 2020

So did her fans, including some famous ones:

I know how this sort of thing hurts. I really enjoy what you do with food and cooking as an amateur cook.May 9, 2020

Don’t let ‘em get you down, Chrissy. You’re a beacon of light.May 9, 2020

Fuck her, Chrissy. You are real, funny, unpretentious and you rockMay 9, 2020

❤️❤️❤️ your work isn't invalidated because someone has a bad opinion, keep your head up!May 8, 2020

Then Roman jumped into the fray.

Roman then tweeted at Teigen directly:

Earlier in the day, she'd clarified:

So, yeah, Roman's comments kind of sucked, which even Roman herself admitted—and they hurt Teigen's feelings (not to mention Kondo's), which really, really sucks. That said, most of the internet is now coming for Roman, which Roman acknowledged in a tweet even before Teigen weighed in:

So, yeah, the comments were a mistake, but Roman being bullied on the internet is also not okay.

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