Bon Appétit personalities Carla Lalli Music and Gaby Melian announced that they're leaving the brand's videos
Bon Appétit/YouTube
Bon Appétit editor at large Carla Lalli Music and test kitchen manager Gaby Melian announced today and Friday, respectively, that they would no longer appear in Bon Appétit videos.
Carla Lalli Music said that she had asked to be released from her contract with Condé Nast Entertainment, saying that she "hopes to remain a food editor at large on the editorial side."
Melian said that she had declined to sign a contract with CNE for video appearances but that she will continue working as the test kitchen manager.
Last week, Sohla El-Waylly, Priya Krishna, and Rick Martinez said that they would no longer appear in Bon Appétit videos following failed contract negotiations that they said would leave them paid less than their white coworkers. Molly Baz also said that she had asked to be released from her CNE contract.
On Aug. 12, Bon Appétit editor at large Carla Lalli Music announced on Twitter that she would no longer appear in Bon Appétit videos following the departure of several chefs of color from the video channel last week following what they said were failed contract negotiations.
In a statement, she said that she had asked to be released from her contract with Condé Nast Entertainment on Aug. 7, but that she hopes to remain a food editor at large on the editorial side.
—carla lalli music (@lallimusic) August 12, 2020
"I love making cooking videos and hope I find the right opportunity to do lots more of that in the future. In the meantime, I'll be sharing plenty of homegrown video content on my personal channels," she told Insider.
In a statement published on Instagram on Friday, as the Washington Post reported, test kitchen manager Gaby Melian announced that she also would no longer appear in Bon Appétit videos.
"After weeks of negotiations, Conde Nast Entertainment is not meeting my expectations regarding the plans to have a more diverse and inclusive video program. For that reason I will not be signing a contract with them to appear in videos," she wrote, saying that she would continue working as the test kitchen manager.
Bon Appétit has been in the midst of a reckoning over worker treatment and race. Business Insider's Rachel Premack reported that staffers of color said that BA's "toxic" culture of microaggressions and exclusion extended past a controversial photo of former editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport that appeared to show him dressed up as a Puerto Rican. man. Assistant food editor Sohla El-Waylly said that she had been paid significantly less than her white counterparts to appear in videos, sparking a wave of support from many fans.
Premack reported that El-Waylly, Rick Martinez, a contributing food editor, and Priya Krishna, a contributing writer, said that they would no longer appear in Bon Appétit videos following failed contract negotiations that they said would still leave them being paid less than their white co-hosts. On Aug. 7, Bon Appétit senior food editor Molly Baz also said that she would no longer appear in videos, saying that she had asked to be released from her contract with Condé Nast Entertainment.
"For weeks, contract negotiations between CNE and Rick Martinez, Priya Krishna, Gaby Melian, and Sohla [El-Waylly] ensued. I hoped that the combined leverage of all the hosts along with others who were applying pressure from within would help force commitments and guarantee change," Carla Lalli Music wrote in her statement. "Somehow, it wasn't enough."
When asked for comment, a Condé Nast representative referred Insider to an internal email sent to employees last week that stated that the company had found no evidence 'that race played a factor in setting compensation for any video team members' and was planning to resume BA video production in September with returning and new talent.
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