"I guess we should probably unfollow each other."
Chrissy Teigen spoke out about food writer Alison Roman's critique of her cooking empire.
In an interview with The New Consumer published on Thursday, the renowned New York Times columnist dug in hard on the model as she 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," Roman continued. "I don't aspire to that. But like, who's laughing now? Because she's making a ton of f--king money."
Well, that didn't sit well with Teigen, as she took to Twitter to say how the shade left her "so bummed out by the words of a fellow food-lover."
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/9xrvQBInAp
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) May 8, 2020 @chrissyteigen
"This is a huge bummer and hit me hard," she began. "I have made [Roman's] 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."
The mother-of-two went on to defend her Cravings website, which shares the same name as her cookbooks, saying she wanted to make something independent of her husband, John Legend, while creating something that "calms" her.
She also took umbrage with Roman calling it a "content farm," as she tweeted, "Cravings isn't a 'machine' or 'farmed content' - it's me and 2 other women."
"This 'farm' you think of doesn't exist. I am the farm. I am the cows the horses the pigs," she later tweeted.
I don't think I've ever been so bummed out by the words of a fellow food-lover. I just had no idea I was perceived that way, by her especially. And Marie, too. Marie is awesome.
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) May 8, 2020 @chrissyteigen
Insisting she didn't "sell out," Chrissy added, "To have a cookware line, to get to be a part of that process start to finish, to see something go from sketch to in my hands, I love that."
"It has been crappy to deal with this all day but I couldn't not say something. I know the actual tears I put into the work I do and it's really hard to see someone try to completely invalidate it. Someone I really liked."
She reiterated her admiration for Roman, as she tweeted, "I genuinely loved everything about Alison. Was jealous she got to have a book with food on the cover instead of a face!!"
there are many days I cry very hard because cravings, the site, is our baby we love to pump content onto. we do this work ourselves, and there is NO monetary gain yet. it is just work work work and the reward is you liking it. so to be called a sellout....hooooo it hurts
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) May 8, 2020 @chrissyteigen
anyhow. now that that's out there, I guess we should probably unfollow each other @alisoneroman
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) May 8, 2020 @chrissyteigen
The "Chrissy's Court" star even brought up Roman's critique of Marie Kondo, whom the food writer said "capitalized on her fame" and "sold out" after creating a product line.
"I just had no idea I was perceived that way, by her especially," wrote Chrissy. "And Marie, too. Marie is awesome."
Chrissy concluded her post by saying, "Anyhow. now that that's out there, I guess we should probably unfollow each other."
Man... this is a huge bummer. It’s also always so distasteful and cliche to be a white woman slamming women of colour building big brands and being successful in business. Did she forget to mention Martha Stewart’s cookware or was it just the two Asian women she’s angry with?
— Jameela Jamil 🌈 (@jameelajamil) May 9, 2020 @jameelajamil
Jameela Jamil caught wind of Chrissy's distress, and supported her, by tweeting, "Man... this is a huge bummer. It’s also always so distasteful and cliche to be a white woman slamming women of colour building big brands and being successful in business."
"Did she forget to mention Martha Stewart’s cookware or was it just the two Asian women she’s angry with?"
Roman, for her part, apologized to Chrissy in a series of tweets.
Hi @chrissyteigen! I sent an email but also wanted to say here that I’m genuinely sorry I caused you pain with what I said. I shouldn’t have used you /your business (or Marie’s!) as an example to show what I wanted for my own career- it was flippant, careless and I’m so sorry
— alison roman (@alisoneroman) May 9, 2020 @alisoneroman
"I'm genuinely sorry I caused you pain with what I said. I shouldn't have used you /your business (or Marie's!) as an example to show what I wanted for my own career—it was flippant, careless and I'm so sorry,'" she wrote.
"Being a woman who takes down other women is absolutely not my thing and don't think it's yours, either (I obviously failed to effectively communicate that). I hope we can meet one day, I think we'd probably get along."
Chrissy has yet to respond.
Got a story or a tip for us? Email TooFab editors at tips@toofab.com.