Three stars of the popular Bon Appétit Test Kitchen exited the popular video series Thursday, posting simultaneous statements to their social media accounts.
Priya Krishna, Sohla El-Waylly, and Rick Martinez announced their departures weeks after Adam Rapoport stepped down as editor in chief of the Condé Nast brand after a photo surfaced of him in brownface. Bon Appétit offered a “long-overdue apology” at the time for “the much broader and longstanding impact of racism at these brands.”
In her Thursday statement, Krishna detailed her time on the video team, writing that she was initially not paid for her participation, then given around $300 per video after she asked for compensation. She wrote that she found out some colleagues were making much more for video content while others were making nothing.
“In June, as Bon Appétit faced a very public reckoning, I was told by video leadership that things were changing and that there would be a huge push towards diversity,” she went on, saying that never happened and calling the leadership promises “lip service.”
“The past few months have been disappointing and insulting,” she added.
Martinez wrote in an Instagram story, “For almost 2 months, we had been told that there were significant changes taking place at CN. And after the resignations, I was actually hopeful that things would change and I was excited to get back to work, to be with my friends and to start making content again.”
He went on to say that after a “torturous and dehumanizing” five-weeks negotiation process, he felt he would not receive “a fair pay rate” or “comparable number of appearances” to his colleagues in the videos. He also said leadership did not share specifics of a “diversity and inclusion video” that is said to be in the works.
“As a Mexican-American, a BIPOC or member of any marginalized group, we encounter this all the time. We are made to feel less than, we are told we are not worth more, and we are bullied into accepting something that we know, and that they know, is not fair. But we do not have to accept what they offer. We are worth more and we need to recognize that. Our value is defined by us, not them,” he wrote after announcing he did not sign a contract that was offered.
Krishna and El-Waylly will still work at the brand’s print product while Ramirez indicated he will “not be appearing in any videos” for the foreseeable future. El-Waylly wrote in an Instagram story, “But don’t worry, you’ll still find me at BA developing fun recipes and stories. No hate to the editors who’ve decided to stay, it’s just not the right thing for me.”
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