Author Alison Roman Shades Chrissy Teigen’s Cooking Empire: ”That Horrifies Me”

Move over, Martha Stewart and Gwyneth Paltrow. There’s a new feud brewing between two leaders in the lifestyle industry. 

Best-selling cookbook author Alison Roman has caught the internet’s attention with comments she made about Chrissy Teigen‘s ventures in the food world in a recent interview with New Consumer. 

When asked to weigh in on mainstream cooking empires like Chrissy’s, Alison had this to say: “Like, what Chrissy Teigen has done is so crazy to me. She had a successful cookbook. And then it was like: Boom, line at Target. Boom, now she has an Instagram page that has over a million followers where it’s just, like, people running a content farm for her.”

“That horrifies me and it’s not something that I ever want to do. I don’t aspire to that. But like, who’s laughing now? Because she’s making a ton of f–ing money,” she added.

Chrissy, whose experience in the kitchen has spawned two cookbooks and a cookware collection at Target, called Alison’s remarks a slap in the face. 

“This is a huge bummer and hit me hard,” she tweeted Friday. “I have made her recipes for years now, bought the cookbooks, supported her on social and praised her in interviews. I even signed on to executive produce the very show she talks about doing in this article.”

Alison explained to New Consumer that despite selling a show, which has yet to go into production, she feels conflicted over cashing in on her fanbase like she said Chrissy, Gwyneth Paltrow and Marie Kondo have.

“I would also have to let go of so much control,” she said. “I run my own social media, my own Instagram. I run my own Twitter. The idea that I would ever not do that— and that I would somehow lend my brand to someone else who’s going to approximate me—horrifies me. I’d rather stay small and always be myself. But at the same time, I do need to figure out how to turn this into money. Straight up.”

In light of the criticism she faced online, Alison took to Twitter with an admittedly snarky message.

“When women bully other women for being honest about money and how much they do or do not make, well, thats amore,” she tweeted. “Just wishing I had someone to hold my hand during baby’s first internet backlash.”

The Nothing Fancy author concluded, “I want to clarify, I am not coming for anyone who’s successful, especially not women. I was trying to clarify that my business model does not include a product line, which work very well for some, but I don’t see working for me.”