MY PEN IS MIGHTY
A Tale of Two Problematic Chefs
Edouardo Jordan and Darius Williams are in hot water for allegations of misconduct. What happens next?
“The rules don’t apply to me.”
That’s a direct quote from Malik Wright, the infamous star quarterback on The Game, a hit television sitcom that ran from 2006 to 2015 (first on The CW, then BET) about professional football players and their enablers. I’ve been recently binge-watching the show — because it’s set to return soon with new episodes — and I’ve noticed how much of the characters’ toxic behavior mirrors what’s happening in real life.
Fame, fortune, and toxic masculinity are indeed an intoxicating mix, and in the wrong hands, they combine into a situation where some people believe that “the rules don’t apply” to them. Just ask Bill Cosby. Or R. Kelly. Or even Antonio Brown, who recently settled a lawsuit with the trainer who accused him of sexual assault.
For years, this type of unchecked power also ran rampant in the restaurant industry. But the #MeToo movement helped empower women while also highlighting allegations against culinary titans like Mario Batali, John Besh, and Johnny Iuzzini. Collectively, all were accused of sexual misconduct against scores of women, and as a result…
