Alison Roman moves beyond Chrissy Teigen backlash and vows to grow from it

Christi Carras
·5 min read
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Alison Roman returned to Instagram on Tuesday for the first time since releasing her formal apology to Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo. (Bear Naked via AP Images)

Cookbook author Alison Roman is back and "excited" to enter a new chapter after a backlash for her controversial comments on Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo drove her off social media this month.

On Tuesday, Roman returned to social media for the first time in weeks to reflect on her actions and the feedback she's received, vowing to grow from the experience.

"HI! I want to thank everyone who's reached out and taken the time to write to me over the last few weeks," Roman wrote in a lengthy Instagram message. "The kindness, empathy, tough love, vulnerability and, honesty demonstrated by everyone who wrote in sharing experiences, book recommendations, anecdotes, and thoughtful advice has been overwhelming in the best way.

"I'm genuinely excited to turn this moment into positive, actionable change and so insanely grateful for even having that opportunity."

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HI! I want to thank everyone who's reached out and taken the time to write to me over the last few weeks. I am still working my way through each email (of which there are...a lot!), so if I haven't gotten back to you yet, please know I will. The kindness, empathy, tough love, vulnerability and, honesty demonstrated by everyone who wrote in sharing experiences, book recommendations, anecdotes, and thoughtful advice has been overwhelming in the best way. I'm genuinely excited to turn this moment into positive, actionable change and so insanely grateful for even having that opportunity. This was a huge shake-up for me both personally and professionally, and I'm still processing so much, but know that I'm working on it and thinking about it 24/7. The issues brought to light by this whole thing won't be fixed overnight, and the healing process for many will be long, but I'm committed to doing the work to make it better. As for the other kind of work, for the foreseeable future, you can find me in that newsletter I started 3 years ago and never sent out lol. There will be recipes, reader emails, recommendations, and discussions about things that I hope you will like or find helpful. In lieu of the comments section or DMs, I encourage you to submit questions/comments/concerns to qcc@alisoneroman.com, the idea being to share some of them in the newsletter (I am learning "the comments section" is not the best place for public discourse). Anyway! I haven't been cooking and won't pretend I have, so here's a bowl of compost, which- a metaphor in there somewhere, I think! Link to subscribe to the untitled newsletter in the bio.

A post shared by Alison Roman (@alisoneroman) on May 26, 2020 at 9:36am PDT

In early May, Roman drew harsh criticism for an interview with the New Consumer, in which she dragged "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" organizer Kondo and "Cravings" author Teigen for how they expanded their successful lifestyle brands.

Roman later apologized for her remarks and acknowledged her privilege as a white woman singling out two women of color in her industry.

"This was a huge shake-up for me both personally and professionally, and I'm still processing so much, but know that I'm working on it and thinking about it 24/7," she wrote on Tuesday. "The issues brought to light by this whole thing won't be fixed overnight, and the healing process for many will be long, but I'm committed to doing the work to make it better."

Last week, the New York Times announced that Roman's popular cooking column had been placed on hold in the wake of the controversy. Teigen, who graciously forgave Roman shortly after the incident, was not pleased with the publication's decision to suspend Roman — and said so repeatedly on Twitter.

According to her latest Instagram post, Roman's next professional endeavor will be recommitting to an untitled newsletter featuring "recipes, reader emails, recommendations, and discussions about things that I hope you will like or find helpful."

It's unclear whether she will resume writing for the New York Times.

"For the foreseeable future, you can find me in that newsletter I started 3 years ago and never sent out lol," she wrote. "In lieu of the comments section or DMs, I encourage you to submit questions/comments/concerns to qcc@alisoneroman.com, the idea being to share some of them in the newsletter (I am learning 'the comments section' is not the best place for public discourse)."

Roman is one of several celebrities who have courted criticism in recent weeks. Over the holiday weekend, singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey doubled down (again) on a divisive Instagram missive that name-checked several female artists of color, while "Say So" hitmaker Doja Cat apologized for an offensive song title from 2015 and her previous participation in alt-right chat rooms.

And on Tuesday, Jimmy Fallon came under fire after a 2000 "Saturday Night Live" sketch featuring the "Tonight Show" host in blackface resurfaced.

"I haven't been cooking and won't pretend I have, so here's a bowl of compost, which- a metaphor in there somewhere, I think!" Roman concluded her comeback post, alluding to the attached photo of plants and discarded produce peels. "Link to subscribe to the untitled newsletter in the bio."