Food columnist Alison Roman has well and truly stirred the pot with Chrissy Teigen.
Speaking to The New Consumer about Teigen's venture into the culinary world with the launch of Cravings by Chrissy Teigen in 2018. Roman said:
"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. I don’t aspire to that."
Roman added: "But like, who's laughing now? Because she’s making a ton of f**king money."
However, after seeing what Roman had to say about her trajectory in the food world, Teigen took to Twitter to reveal to her 12.7 million followers that she has been left "bummed out".
Teigen wrote in series of tweets: "[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.
"I started cravings because I wanted something for myself. I wanted something John didn't buy, I wanted something to do that calmed me, made me happy and made others happy, too. Cravings isn't a "machine" or "farmed content" - it's me and 2 other women.
"I didn't 'sell out' by making my dreams come true. 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."
She continued: "[To] see that thing in my hand being used by people around the world makes me so happy. Watching a company grow makes me happy. I get joy from it and lots of people do.
"I genuinely loved everything about Alison. Was jealous she got to have a book with food on the cover instead of a face!! I've made countless NYT recipes she's created, posting along the way.
"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."
Teigen added: "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.
"[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 working work work and the reward is you liking it. so to be called a sellout....hooooo it hurts
"[This] 'farm' you think of doesn't exist. I am the farm. I am the cows the horses the pigs."
In response to Teigen's tweets and backlash from fans, Roman also took to Twitter to clarify her words and offer an apology to the Lip Sync Battle star.
Roman wrote: "I want to clarify, I am not coming for anyone who's successful, especially not women. I was trying to clarify that my business model does not include a product line, which work very well for some, but I don't see working for me."
And in a direct tweet to Teigen, she added: "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."
She added: "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."
Time will only tell if Teigen accepts Roman's apology...