What Happened To ABC's The Chew?
The following article mentions sexual assault.
For its first few seasons, ABC's "The Chew" seemed like it would remain an integral part of daytime TV for a very long time. After all, the culinary-themed talk show was wildly popular with fans and critics alike. Indeed, it received around 2.5 million views per episode from 2016 to 2017. The program also earned a few Emmy nominations and awards. All of these factors made "The Chew" seem invincible.
Nonetheless, during the spring of 2018, ABC announced that the show would be canceled. This decision proved disappointing to fans — some of whom signed a Change.org petition to bring it back. However, as reported by The Daily Mail, this just wasn't going to happen. Per the outlet, then Disney-ABC Television president Ben Sherwood gave a press release that spoke quite highly of the show's merits, but still insisted that the network was confident in its choice, stating: "This is the right decision for our business."
In the end, "The Chew" was not canceled for one single reason. Due to a drop in ratings, competition with streaming platforms, and even allegations of sexual assault, the talk show simply could not survive another season.
The show experienced a drop in ratings
When it comes to television, no factor may be as important as ratings. After all, networks turn a profit based on their viewership, and if a show loses its fanbase, there is no reason to keep it going. Unfortunately for "The Chew," the show experienced a drop in ratings right before it was canceled.
As explained by The Wrap, "The Chew" lost the interest of some of its most profitable demographics leading up to its cancellation. This was especially true in the category of women between the ages of 18 and 49. While this might not sound like such a big deal, in practice it actually was. As a result of this drop, "The Chew" was ranked in 13th place for daytime television shows out of 13 spots. This means that, out of all the shows available during the daylight hours, "The Chew" was the least popular one among young to middle-aged women.
It is hard to pinpoint why exactly the show lost so many viewers. However, according to "The Chew" host Carla Hall, some people griped that the daytime program rarely gave viewers any real cooking tips. As Hall told The Washington Post: "Some people were like, 'It's so silly. You have all these games. I just wish you would cook,' ... But we weren't that show."
Streaming and mobile devices became more popular
Beyond the show's content, there is another reason why ratings for "The Chew" took a dive. As streaming platforms have become more popular, television viewers have started to watch their favorite programs on their phones, tablets, and other devices. Because of this, traditional TV ratings have taken significant losses. This has created financial problems for the networks, making it more difficult for them to sell advertisements.
Interestingly, this problem has affected all sorts of different TV programs across a variety of networks — and ABC's "The Chew" was no exception. As show host Carla Hall told The Washington Post in an interview: "People are looking at television differently. They look at it on their devices, and there are no metrics for that." Unfortunately, though, when a network fails to perceive how many people are actually tuning into its show, it becomes difficult to know whether or not to keep funding it.
In Hall's view, this is a broader issue that impacted shows beyond just "The Chew." Hall told the newspaper: "It looks like everybody's numbers are down, and it's because nobody's home and has appointment television." However, considering that "The Chew" had such low ratings, any bump in the program's numbers could have made a difference — including viewers who opted for streaming.
Viewers either loved or hated the show
There was another potential reason that "The Chew" struggled to keep up in the ratings game. For the most part, people either loved the talk show or hated it. While "The Chew" ultimately did perform quite well in terms of the Emmy awards, the TV program also incited quite a bit of criticism over the years.
Anthony Bourdain, for one, seemed to despise the show. In an interview with The Mercury News, the celebrity chef said that "The Chew" left him feeling "shaken." Speaking about the original show hosts, Bourdain relayed: "I can't tell you how much I like and respect those guys. They're the smartest, funniest, best since Julia Child." Because of this sense of camaraderie, though, Bourdain said that he couldn't understand why his beloved colleagues would participate in what he viewed as a low-quality program. "I'm not trying to be funny or snarky — I'm really shaken. I feel like I've left the mountains, and found all my comrades had joined the Interior Ministry. The whole world has tilted in a way I don't understand."
Esquire also released a negative review of the TV show which echoed many of Bourdain's sentiments about the cast. Like Bourdain, the review also noted that the hosts of "The Chew" were likable individually, but they somehow didn't work together to create a satisfactory show.
ABC wanted to prioritize 'Good Morning America'
Because of the low ratings associated with "The Chew," ABC had to think carefully about what to do with the show's time slot. In the end, network executives realized that it would be way more profitable to extend the ever-popular "Good Morning America" show for an hour, rather than to continue funding "The Chew." Thus, it was decided that the food show's time slot would be used to create an extended version of "Good Morning America."
As the then Disney-ABC Television president Ben Sherwood revealed in a press release, the decision was nothing personal. However, business-wise, "Good Morning America" was simply a safer bet. Sherwood explained to The Daily Mail: "Over the past six years 'Good Morning America' has solidified its place as America's No. 1 morning show. We believe there is great opportunity for viewers and advertisers in expanding to a third hour."
Indeed, around the time that "The Chew" was axed, The Washington Post reported that "Good Morning America" was hitting even better ratings than "The Today Show" from rival network NBC. Thus, from a strategy perspective, it made sense for ABC to invest more in this morning program.
Sadly, though, this decision upset many of "The Chew's" most dedicated fans. Show host Carla Hall even had to tell viewers not to blame "Good Morning America" for the network's business decision. As she told The Washington Post: "You know, it's not fair to do that to the people on 'GMA.' It wasn't their decision."
A popular host had already left the show
While the broader issue of ratings certainly had a major impact on the show's cancellation, there were other factors influencing ABC's decision to give "The Chew" the ax. During the television program's later years, there were some internal issues that also contributed to its eventual demise. One of these was that, in 2017, beloved show host Daphne Oz decided to quit her job and pursue other interests. In a statement released to TVLine, Oz said: "I have had the great privilege of growing up at our family table, and have shared some huge milestones along the way ... and am lucky to have had The Chew as a bright beginning to my career." The remaining cast members, however, were not so lucky to lose her.
Oz's absence was a huge loss for "The Chew." The show's executive producer Gordon Elliot said of Oz: "She is one of the greatest natural broadcasters I have ever worked with. The moment she sat at the table with Mario, Clinton, Michael and Carla, I knew we had a great television show. Her chemistry, honesty and intelligence are her trademarks, and they will stand with her wherever she goes."
Because Oz's talent was so essential to "The Chew," the overall show dynamic changed dramatically after she departed. This was especially true, since the network decided against hiring another host to replace her, meaning that the other hosts had to try harder to fill the void that she had left behind. Commenting on this phenomenon to People, Carla Hall said: "We've had to raise the energy."
Another host was accused of sexual misconduct
Daphne Oz was not the only show host who had to make an early exit. Restaurateur Mario Batali also stepped back from "The Chew" after he was accused of sexual harassment and assault by several women who had worked with him over the years. As reported by Eater, Batali made no effort to deny these claims. Instead, he released a statement, admitting wrongdoing: "I apologize to the people I have mistreated and hurt. Although the identities of most of the individuals mentioned in these stories have not been revealed to me, much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I have acted."
Naturally, there were immediate professional ramifications for Batali's alleged actions. ABC took action against the talk show host. On December 14, 2017, the network released a statement, sharing its decision to part ways with Batali. As explained on "The Chew's" Facebook page: "Upon completing its review into the allegations made against Mario Batali, ABC has terminated its relationship with him and he will no longer appear on 'The Chew'."
In this statement, ABC also emphasized the importance of establishing a healthy work environment. The network shared: "ABC takes matters like this very seriously as we are committed to a safe work environment."
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Mario Batali already had beef with the rest of the cast
At the end of the day, ABC fired Mario Batali because of the sexual assault allegations that had been made against him. However, there were other reasons that the network might have wanted to send the restaurateur packing. Chief among these was almost certainly Batali's struggle to interact well with his castmates. At some points, the talk show host spoke ill of his colleagues at "The Chew" — once, even going public with his commentary.
Speaking with Eater in 2012, Batali hinted at some of the personality differences on set, saying that people on the show "criticize me." As if that wasn't awkward enough, he then shared, "I never would have chosen my [co-hosts], but after a year of working with them, I realize that they don't have weird ulterior motives." Batali then went on to criticize the way that each of his co-hosts portrayed themselves on TV, hinting that nobody else really had their persona down. "Their messages are not all yet clear, even after a year, but they're smart and fun," he said.
The celebrity chef, however, felt that he — on the other hand — had mastered his television persona. Batali explained: "Clearly I present myself as a kind of know-it-all who really enjoys explaining things, not in a pedantic but empowering way. It's kind of like what Molto Mario was about."
'The Chew' ran out of compelling material
Ultimately, all good things must come to an end, and "The Chew" was no exception. In a lot of ways, the television program had already run its course. By the later seasons, even the show hosts had to admit that the content had become somewhat repetitive. Indeed, in 2016, right after the show released its 1000th episode, Carla Hall told Eater just how hard it was to keep things fresh. When asked if her job ever felt like it was the same thing over and over again, Hall replied in the affirmative. She went on to say that it was difficult "to think of interesting things constantly."
The celebrity chef went on to explain: "In this one thousand shows, there were 327 pasta recipes that Mario did, but 47 of them were macaroni and cheese." Apparently, this kind of content recycling happened because the co-hosts struggled to come up with new ideas. Hall relayed: "So sometimes we are like, 'Oh my gosh, how are we gonna make it new? What are we gonna talk about?' And that becomes very challenging."
On top of the issues with the show's content, Hall expressed frustration with the "one-dimensional" personas that each of the hosts was expected to maintain throughout filming. "I don't want to have to do Southern food all the time. I mean, there's a big world out there," she said.
The remainder of the hosts moved on
Soon after Daphne Oz and Mario Batali left "The Chew," the talk show was canceled. While fans petitioned for its return, it did not take long for the remaining three show hosts to turn towards other interests. Within months of "The Chew's" cancellation, Michael Symon was busy expanding his restaurant, Mabel's BBQ. As reported by Eater, the celebrity chef kept busy bringing his business to a new location — one that would involve a full-blown beer garden.
Meanwhile, Carla Hall remained in ABC's good graces by appearing as a guest host on "Good Morning America: Day" — the third hour of "Good Morning America" (the very same show that replaced "The Chew"). She also invested time into her own projects, publishing a cookbook titled "Carla Hall's Soul Food: Everyday And Celebration" in 2018. Her co-star, Clinton Kelly, took a step back from the silver screen and began to focus on the production side of things. He even helped produce the 2022 film "Guns of Eden."
Although the cast of "The Chew" is probably too busy to ever bring the show back, they are said to make the time to stay in touch. Speaking to Closer, Kelly divulged that the former hosts have a group chat where they "text each other all the time." Apparently, the final trio of hosts enjoy a similar sense of humor.