Editor’s note: This article discusses suicide and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
Anne Burrell fans aren’t happy with the new Food Network social media post promoting the TV personality’s longtime series “Worst Cooks in America.”
The 55-year-old celebrity chef was found dead in her New York home on June 17, and the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed to USA TODAY on July 17 that the manner of death was ruled as a suicide.
Throughout her impressive career, she became a household name on the culinary channel, starting with her debut on Iron Chef America” in 2005 and later hosting “Secrets of a Restaurant Chef” for nine seasons. However, she was arguably best known as the face of the long-running “Worst Cooks in America.”
An Instagram post on Aug. 4 promoting the show’s 29th season, which premiered on July 28 and will be Burrell’s last, has sparked outrage for not mentioning the beloved host.
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The post includes screengrabs showcasing Burrell from the Aug. 4 episode with a caption that reads: “It’s showtime! The recruits step up to the spotlight in the first-ever Boot Camp Culinary Pageant! Competing head-to-head, they show off their kitchen skills in hopes of being crowned Mister or Miss Boot Camp.”
Fans call caption ‘distasteful’ and ‘disappointing’
The post received multiple comments from upset viewers, with one calling the caption “so distasteful,” urging the page to show “some care and decency for Anne and her family.”
“Another tone deaf post and still no tribute like she deserves. It’s obvious you haven’t listened to any of the thousands of posts from her fans. Very disappointing,” another user wrote.
“This is such an odd caption, in my opinion. At least acknowledge Anne and her legacy in the caption- this is not an ‘everyday’ type of season premiere and Food Network knows that,” another caption reads.
USA TODAY has reached out to Food Network representatives for comment on the backlash.
Food Network honored Anne Burrell with special message
The Food Network honored the host at the end of the Season 29 premiere with an “In Memoriam” display featuring a photo of Burrell in a sunny yellow jacket and with text that read with the chef’s name and years of her life, “1969-2025.”
The tribute was followed by text advising, “If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or chat at 988lifeline.org.”
Gabriele “Gabe” Bertaccin, who joined Burrell as a co-host for Season 29, said the cherished host was always heavily involved in the show and that the new season felt “very celebratory.”
“I was like, ‘I am so happy that this is Anne and it shows (her) so well’ because that’s who she was,” Bertaccin previously told USA TODAY. “I’m sad that she’s not here anymore, but I know that she would love to see herself in this season and she would really enjoy actually reliving all these crazy moments that we had together.”
Contributing: Erin Jensen, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Anne Burrell fans are calling a Food Network post ‘tone-deaf’
