Adam Rapoport, the chief editor at Bon Appetit, has stepped down from his position after an undated photo of him in brown face resurfaced and several accusations of discrimination and lack of inclusiveness at the publication came to light.
I do not know why Adam Rapoport simply doesn’t write about Puerto Rican food for @bonappetit himself!!! https://t.co/rW0k5tjMoS pic.twitter.com/odZnFLz2gd
— TAMMIE TECLEMARIAM (@tammieetc) June 8, 2020
Social media went into an uproar when an undated photo of Adam and his wife Simone Shubeck wearing Halloween costumes meant to portray Puerto Rican dress was spread across the internet. Simone reportedly was the one to post it first on her Instagram feed but it has since been taken down.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBMT4rVg0H4/
Adam apologized for that while also announcing his resignation in an Instagram post shared on Monday, August 8.
https://twitter.com/eatgordaeat/status/1269329628658712576
The damage was far from done though. Freelance Puerto Rican food columnist Illyanna Maisonet posted several direct message conversations between her and Adam last week that centered on Bon Appetit‘s decision to reject a story she pitched. Adam acknowledged that the long-running publication doesn’t do enough to highlight Puerto Rican cuisine and suggested how she might find “a way” into the magazine.
https://twitter.com/iamnotalexlau/status/1270038290645897219
Alex Lau, who was once a staff photographer at Bon Appetit, revealed that he left the magazine for “multiple reasons” one being the “white leadership” that “refused to make changes that my BIPOC coworkers and I constantly pushed for.”
Assistant editor Sohla El-Waylyy claimed that only white editors are paid for for their video appearances and that people of color have yet to be compensated.
Bon Appetit’s YouTube videos from their test kitchen are some of its most popular in recent years. RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni Miz Cracker, Shangela, and Trixie Mattel‘s appearances have brought in millions of clicks for them.