ABC fires celebrity chef Mario Batali from The Chew

Celebrity chef Mario Batali has been fired from the ABC's daytime show The Chew, amid multiple allegations of sexual harassment and assault.

"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," an ABC spokesperson said in a statement.

"While we remain unaware of any type of inappropriate behaviour involving him and anyone affiliated with our show, ABC takes matters like this very seriously as we are committed to a safe work environment and his past behaviour violates our standards of conduct."

Earlier this week, Batali stepped away from the talk show as well as his restaurant empire, saying in a statement that reports of sexual misconduct "match up" to his behaviour. 

Allegations first emerged in an article on food news website Eater New York, in which four women accused the chef of inappropriate touching. Further allegations about Batali appeared in a New York Times article about his restaurateur colleague Ken Friedman of The Spotted Pig.

Batali, who has co-hosted The Chew since its debut six years ago, is involved with top restaurants around the globe through his company, B&B Hospitality Group. He is also a partner in Eataly USA, an Italian food hall and grocer, which has locations in New York, Chicago and Boston. 

The Food Network, which had planned to relaunch his 1990s show Molto Mario next year, has put the project on hold. The network "takes matters like this very seriously," it said in a statement.