Can Celebrities Make A Comback After Sexual Harassment Claims?

One of my favorite celebrity chefs in recent years is Mario Batalli, so I was devastated by his accusal of a decades long pattern of abusive behavior both in his empire and at restaurants owned by friends.  Lewd, drunken behavior, including physical groping and drunken propositions were reported.

I used to love his show Molto Mario and more recently, The Chew.  He is not just a great cook, but a personality that keeps you coming back for more.  Now he is divesting himself of interests in all his entities, including Batali and Bastianich Hospitality Group (24 restaurants), where he has stepped away from daily operations.  Eataly, the Italian food emporium in which he has a minor stake, took his products off its shelves.  A remake of Molto Mario was cancelled, and he was removed from the show The Chew.  After all that's happened,  can Mario Batalli make a comeback?

Mario has never been known for his patience.  He has been asking questions and exploring when and whether he should begin a comeback.  Friends and associates say he is floating ideas, pondering timelines and examining whether there is a way for him to step back into his career, at least in some capacity.  He is deeply introspective at this time, is seeking counsel on what his future might hold both personally and professionally. He told a colleague that his is trying to learn to be the wallpaper in the room and not the room itself. Mario has always had a philanthropic heart, and this month he is traveling to Greece and Rwanda to work with refugees.

Many friends and people in the business have advised him NOT to try to make a comeback.  Anthony Bourdain is one who advises this.  Few food celebrities want to be connected to him publically, but privately some suggest the time has  come for a more nuanced approach to the scorched-earth policy toward men who have harassed women- one that allows something resembling redemption.  Whatever he decides, I hope he is dealing with the issues that caused the problems in the first place.  Saying "I'm sorry,"  which he has done, is not enough.  He needs treatment to understand what he did and why.  I am forgiving, and I'm all about second chances.  It seems to me that Mario, whatever he does, should keep a low public profile, and continue to work on his mental health.