Jamie Oliver has said sorry for unintentionally “misrepresenting” Indigenous Australians in his latest children’s book.
The TV chef came under fire for basing his book, Billy and the Epic Escape, around an Aboriginal girl with “mystical powers”. As a result of the backlash, the fantasy novel has now been withdrawn from sale.
Jamie – on screen with his Air Fryer Meals this weekend (November 17) – has also said he is “devastated” to have hurt the minority community that’s already battling many issues.
Why Jamie Oliver’s children’s book was criticised
Jamie’s latest children’s novel has been pulled from shelves as it allegedly perpetuates stereotypes against Indigenous Australians.
First Nations leaders accused him of trivialising the community’s “complex and painful” history and also reproducing “harmful stereotypes”, the BBC reported.
The celebrity chef has been blamed for misrepresenting prevalent issues concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. For years, they were forcibly removed from their families as a part of the Australian government’s assimilation policies.
The 400-page fantasy novel navigates the life of an Aboriginal girl named Ruby, who was abducted from her foster home.
According to NBC News, the description of the book is such that it blames the family. The Indigenous leaders think it “dangerously trivialises the ongoing trauma associated with Australia’s violent history of child removal”.
Sharon Davis of the First Nations educational body Natsiec said that portraying the main character of the book as if she has extraordinary powers “dehumanises her” and, by extension, the entire community.
It was never my intention to misinterpret this deeply painful issue.
She also said that she feels as if Indigenous people’s “complex and diverse” belief systems is reduced to “magic”. The little girl can read people’s minds and speak with animals and plants as if “that’s the Indigenous way”.
The book is also criticised for its language errors. The main character is from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory but the vocabulary used in the language is that of the Gamilaraay people of the states of New South Wales and Queensland.
Jamie Oliver’s children’s book, Billy and the Epic Escape, has been pulled from shelves following backlash over its depiction of First Nations Australians. Oliver apologized, stating that it was never his intention to misinterpret such a deeply painful issue. #news pic.twitter.com/sUdLfQq8RZ
— Peer Community Hub, Your News Network Zone! ✌️ (@p_communityhub) November 11, 2024
Celebrity chef issues apology
Penguin Random House UK, the book’s publisher, has confirmed that Billy and the Epic Escape has been withdrawn from sale.
A statement issued by the publisher read: “It is clear that our publishing standards fell short on this occasion, and we must learn from that.”
Jamie also issued an apology while he was in Australia promoting his cookbook, Simply Jamie. “I am devastated to have caused offense and apologise wholeheartedly,” the chef also said.
He then continued: “It was never my intention to misinterpret this deeply painful issue. Together with my publishers, we have decided to withdraw the book from sale.”
First Nations leaders have acknowledged their apologies and swift action to withdraw the book, which was released in May 2024.
Jamie’s Air Fryer Meals airs on Sunday (November 17) at 6pm on Channel 4.
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