Three Bon Appétit journalists of color said Thursday they will no longer participate in the Condé Nast-owned food brand’s popular video series.
Priya Krishna, Sohla El-Waylly and Rick Martinez posted simultaneous announcements on social media about their decisions following their unsuccessful contract negotiations with the company. Krishna and Martinez alleged in their posts they were offered unfair terms that would have paid them less than their White colleagues.
“The contract I received was nowhere near equitable, and actually would potentially allow for me to make even less than I do currently,” Krishna wrote. “I have received no concrete update on the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on the part of video, despite asking multiple times.”
Their announcements follow a larger reckoning over allegations of racism at Bon Appétit. In June, editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport resigned after a photo of him in brown face for Halloween spread online, and accusations of bias and discrimination were made public. Two days after Rapoport’s resignation, the company posted an apology to Bon Appétit’s site and committed to change, including resolving pay inequities and prioritizing people of color for consideration for the vacant editor-in-chief position.
Krishna and El-Waylly said they will still write for Bon Appétit.
Bon Appétit’s Test Kitchen videos have become an incredibly popular franchise for the storied magazine brand. Its YouTube channel has more than 6 million subscribers, with videos often receiving millions of views. But amid the scandal, the YouTube channel has posted no new videos since June 5.
A Condé Nast spokesperson told CNN Business in a statement: “Over the last several weeks, the video team has worked individually with each Test Kitchen contributor to address all concerns and communicate equitable compensation structures, including standardized rate cards, in many ways exceeding SAG/AFTRA standards, for freelance and editorial staff who contribute to video. As new leadership at both Condé Nast Entertainment and Bon Appétit join the team in the coming weeks, new video programming with new and returning talent will also be announced.”
Condé Nast announced on Thursday that Sonia Chopra was named executive editor at Bon Appétit. She previously oversaw strategy and operations at Vox Media’s food site, Eater. She starts August 24 and will report to Anna Wintour until the editor-in-chief position is filled.
