Why was John Torode fired from MasterChef? Details explored

Chef John Torode, the coveted presenter on BBC's MasterChef, has been added to the list of people who got public flak for using a racial slur. Other recent additions to the list include Cierra Ortega from Love Island USA season 7 and Zae Frederich from Big Brother season 27.

The news came as a shock because Torode has been the presenter of the show since 2005. Torode wasn't only accused of using a slur but was also blamed for acting like he wasn't informed of his sacking before it was announced to the public on July 15 by the production house.

"The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously. We will not tolerate racist language of any kind," wrote the BBC on its official website.

After the BBC announced John's sacking, he came to his Instagram account to address the situation. He said that he had no recollection of the incident and wished to have a say about his position on a show that he had worked with for 20 years.

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What the BBC said about MasterChef star John Torode's sacking

A spokesperson for the BBC released a public statement that detailed their findings about the chef. It stated that Torode was identified as having upheld an allegation that included him using a racial slur, which was used in the workplace. BBC revealed that they had concluded the same after the law firm, Lewis Silkin, helped them investigate the matter.

The statement also declared that Torode had denied the allegation and had said that he had no memory of using the slur word, nor did he believe that such a thing could have happened. It stated that he also believed that the use of any form of a slur word was totally "unacceptable" in any environment.

The publication also wrote that they wouldn't tolerate any such behavior and asked Banjay UK, the makers of MasterChef, to take immediate action.

"John Torode’s contract on MasterChef will not be renewed," added the BBC.

While it was proven that Chef Torode did use a racial term, what it was is still under wraps. This has sparked an online speculation among the fans of the show, who are trying to guess what the word was.

After the action that the BBC took, Torode took to his Instagram on July 15 to address the allegation, stating that he was accused of using the term somewhere in 2018 or 2019. He also stated that the person who accused him of it said that he didn't believe Torode said it maliciously because the chef had apologized to him immediately after.

"I have absolutely no recollection of it, and I do not believe that it happened," he clarified in the said Instagram post.

In another written post, put out on July 16, Torode said that he wasn't informed of the BBC's decision to sack him. He reiterated that he had no recollection of the event, and the enquiry against him didn't even mention a date or the year of the incident.

He added that he hoped he had some say about his position on a show he had been working with since 2005. Reflecting back on his role on Celebrity MasterChef, Torode said that it would be his last MasterChef. He added that he had loved every minute of his work on the show and accepted that it was now time to pass on his role to someone else.

He was optimistic about working on other "exciting projects" and said that his stomach would be grateful for the 20 years of eating he did while on MasterChef.

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For more updates on MasterChef presenter Chef John Torode, fans can follow his official Instagram handle, @johntorodecooks.

Edited by Shweta Zaveri