After celebrity chef and TV star Mario Batali was accused of sexual misconduct by four different women, Batali stepped aside from the operations of his businesses and also stepped aside as cohost of ABC's The Chew. In light of these allegations, which were revealed in-depth investigation from Eater, the Food Network is halting the release of a relaunched Molto Mario.

A spokesperson for the Food Network told Grub Street the channel is hitting pause on bringing back the show. "Food Network takes matters like this very seriously and we are putting relaunch plans for Molto Mario on hold," the statement reads. According to Variety, production had reportedly already wrapped on the show, which was set to premiere early next year.

Molto Mario originally ran on Food Network from 1996 to 2006 and helped make Batali a household name. He had not appeared on the network on a regular basis since 2010, but did appear on an episode of Burgers, Brews, and 'Que in 2015.The reboot of the series was announced just last month, and it was set to feature Batali cooking meals with celebrities and friends over six episodes.

Batali issued a statement to Eater regarding the allegations. "I apologize to the people I have mistreated and hurt," he said. "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."

Follow Delish on Instagram.

Download the Delish app.