Was Gregg Wallace sacked from MasterChef? BBC issues statement as barrage of allegations surface against the TV presenter following an investigation

The investigation into the allegations against MasterChef co-presenter Gregg Wallace seems to be completed. Banijay, the production company for the cooking reality show, has published the investigation report in connection with the allegations of misconduct against Wallace.

Out of the 83 allegations, 45 have been confirmed. The majority of the accusations relate to s*xual language. According to Sky News, 94% of the allegations are from the 2005 to 2018 timeline.

According to the BBC, Gregg Wallace has been terminated from his position as the MasterChef presenter. He was made to step down from the role in November 2024, The Independent notes. Out of the 50 people who raised allegations against him, 20 were from the production company itself.

An independent law firm investigated as per the instructions of Banijay. It was the BBC that first launched the investigation, triggering the inquiry. As per the report, Gregg Wallace has autism. It noted:

“The findings made should be viewed in the context of his neurodiversity. Mr Wallace accepts that his diagnosis may help to explain some of his actions, but he does not wish to hide behind it.”

Meanwhile, the BBC admitted that even though they didn’t fully know everything about the situation at the time, they missed chances to take action against the behaviour. They agreed that they should have acted earlier. Their statement mentioned:

“The BBC has informed Mr Wallace we have no plans to work with him in future. Although the full extent of these issues were not known at the relevant time, opportunities were missed to address this behavior, both by the production companies running MasterChef and the BBC.”

What did Gregg Wallace write in his statement on Instagram?

The BBC also apologized to anyone affected by Gregg Wallace’s actions and made it clear that they had no intention of working with him again. An official from Banijay, Patrick Holland, said:

“We are extremely sorry to anyone who has been impacted by this behaviour and felt unable to speak up at the time or that their complaint was not adequately addressed.”

Banijay’s statement also added:

“Whilst it makes for uncomfortable reading, it also provides valuable insight to ensure that going forward everyone working on our productions feels safe and supported, and that inappropriate behaviour is quickly and professionally dealt with.”

Besides the major allegations of using s*xually inappropriate language and humor, the investigation by the law firm also found that there was an accusation of his being undressed. Moreover, some of his comments were also taken as banter. Gregg Wallace took to his Instagram recently to release a statement, writing:

“I have now been cleared by the Silkins report of the most serious and sensational accusations made against me. The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation.”

Per The Independent, several staff who worked on the cooking reality show refrained from complaining against Gregg Wallace as they feared they would lose their jobs, since they worked in freelance positions. It is noteworthy that the BBC had warned him against his actions in 2017. He complied by not participating in social settings.

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