Bon Appetit Editor Steps Down After Racially Insensitive Photo Surfaces

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Adam Rapoport has formally resigned from his position.

Hours after a photo of Adam Rapoport resurfaced on social media, the editor in chief of Bon Appetit magazine resigned from his position. The 2004 photo of him and his wife, Simone Shubuck, popped back up on Twitter and showed them dressed in a stereotypical depiction of Puerto Ricans. The incident was followed by a series of screenshots posted by a freelance writer who asked Rapoport whether her work as a Puerto Rican food writer could find a “way in” to Bon Appétit.


In a statement on Instagram, Rapoport said he would “reflect on the work that I need to do as a human being and to allow Bon Appétit to get to a better place.” Rapoport was a former editor at GQ magazine and has been with the magazines’ parent company, Condé Nast, for 20 years.

Bon Appetit has long faced criticism for how its employees of color are treated and compensated and how food from a variety of cultures is presented.

Staff members were called into meetings to discuss the photograph as well as other racial issues at the publication. Many called for the Rapoport’s resignation.

In light of recent racial-justice protests around the country, Bon Appetit is not the only publication to face heat. The top editor Refinery29 also stepped down after a number of employees came forward about experiences with racial discrimination at the company.

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