Giada De Laurentiis Burst Into Tears After Male Chef Said Her 'Big Boobs' Were The Reason For Her Success

Giada De Laurentiis is speaking out about a sexist comment she received from a famous colleague in the culinary world.

She recalled approaching Mario Batali in 2005 to write the foreword for her first cookbook, only to be left in tears by his response, which essentially implied she owed her success to having "big boobs."

Giada De Laurentiis' revelation comes years after Mario Batali's career declined due to an exposé that detailed allegations of sexual harassment and assault from four different women.

In a candid new interview, Giada De Laurentiis recalled an encounter where a former prominent male chef, Mario Batali, once told her she owed her success not to her skills, but to her body.

The Food Network star recalled that in 2005, she had approached Batali to write a foreword for her book, Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes, given that he was well respected at the time and she already had a working relationship with him for many years.

However, what he wrote deeply hurt Laurentiis as he tore down her accomplishments with sexist undertones while praising himself.

"When I read it, I cried," the super chef revealed during her appearance on the "On The Menu" podcast, per The U.S. Sun.

She added, "I realised he's basically saying that I've gotten to where I've gotten, and I've had this little bit of success that I had, because I have big boobs, and that if he had boobs, he would even be much further."

Shocked by Laurentiis' account, podcast host Samah Dada questioned whether Batali had truly written such brazen words in the foreword.

In response, Laurentiis assured that she was not telling a lie, adding, "Yes, because I'm like, a joke, right?"

She then further explained that Batali didn't think she was of any relevance in the culinary world.

"To him, I was like a little bit of a joke, and so I called my editor, and I was in tears. I'm like, 'Clearly I can't use this!' So now what do I do?" Laurentiis also recounted.

Knowing she couldn't use those comments and seemingly having no one else to turn to, Laurentiis' team ultimately decided it was best to draft their own remarks and send them to Batali for approval.

"We rewrote it, but I will never forget that that's basically what a lot of people figured, and so that's why they're watching her," added Laurentiis.

This all went down before Batali faced severe allegations of sexual harassment and assault which swiftly derailed his once booming career in the culinary world.

Over a decade after the alleged foreword incident, Batali became the subject of an exposé alleging he had sexually harassed and assaulted four women.

The article, published by Eater New York, claimed the "Molto Mario" star repeatedly groped one accuser's breasts with his bare hands at the after-party of a wine auction, during which wine had been spilled on her.

Another accuser alleged he repeatedly grabbed her from behind during the time she worked for him, while the remaining two described similar groping-related incidents.

When the allegations surfaced, they prompted additional individuals who claimed to be victims of Batali to come forward with their own stories.

Ultimately, over two dozen women had suffered similar inappropriate acts in the hands of Batali, which led to a sexual harassment probe by New York's attorney general's office.

Following the fallout from his actions, Batali was dismissed from the Food Network, removed from his co-hosting role on ABC's "The Chew," and was dropped by some other brands he worked with.

He also stepped away from the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, the restaurant empire he co-founded with Joe Bastianich.

Notably, Batali never denied the allegations and publicly apologized to those affected by his behavior.

"I apologize to the people I have mistreated and hurt. Although the identities of most of the individuals mentioned in these stories have not been revealed to me, much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I have acted," he wrote in his statement.

"That behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility and am deeply sorry for any pain, humiliation, or discomfort I have caused to my peers, employees, customers, friends, and family," Batali added.