Fans React to Ina Garten's Make-A-Wish Snub

By Rae Votta Posted Mar 31st 2011 05:16PM

After Food Network star Ina Garten realized the PR mistake in turning down a terminally ill child who requested a cooking lesson with her via the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the 'Barefoot Contessa' turned around and changed her tune, offering to fulfill the wish. But too little, too late, according to TMZ, which reports that the boy's family turned down Garten's offer. Our Facebook fans had a lot to say about the double snub, and we've highlighted the best responses for you below.

Faylynn Hall: Good for the KID! he deserved better and Doesn't need to help her guilt or pity need to do it ! she should have said yes in the first place now its out of guilt Screw her . I am not watching her show..

Karissa Joi Singleton: Good, this jerk deserves some embarrassment. If people like Beyonce and Michael Jackson spare time for Make-A-Wish kids, I'm sure she could have too. I've never even heard of this lady. Give me a break!

Samantha Spillman: The issue at hand is this: You wanna be a celeb you want us to buy your books, cook the food you produce and watch your shows, you HAVE to give something back, whatever that may be. You don't get asked by a 6 yr old BOY, to come cook with you, and turn him down TWO times back to back. This child could have DIED waiting for her, and yet he held fast to the hope that since she didn't see him last year, maybe she would this year. She will now forever be known as "That chef that turned down a very sick child's last wish" it's pathetic, it's selfish and I hope everyone did what i did, i sent HER and email on her webpage, i also sent an e-mail to food network telling them this is unacceptable.

Gina Kicinski: I never thought I'd see someone turn down a dying child. This infuriates me to no end, shame on you Ina Garten. I will never watch your show again.

Annette Blount: Never liked Ina or her snobby show - If she couldn't make it in person to see the kid, she could have sent along a personal note and some gifts, anything! Just classless.

However, some are on the chef's side:

Vini Galuc: All this sappy sentiment is ridiculous! You people have been reading too many Hallmark cards...hundreds of thousands of kids are "sick" at any given time...sometimes the wish just doesn't work out...move on...

Carol Willhite-Newberg: Why does someone have to say yes to ever single request? I understand the kid is sick but jeez..I'm tired of everyone always being under pressure

How do you feel about Ina's snub? Tell us on Facebook.

Tags: ina garten

Comments

(96)

Friday 01 April

By HollywoodSux

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These stupid celebrities have all lost their feckin' minds! No wonder they call it "Planet Hollywood in the land of fruits and nuts". They prance around like some kind of God's gift to mankind and act like a bunch of babies when they don't get their way. Everything they do is to capture the limelight and keep their names in the headlines even when they do charitable appearances. It's all about PR, marketing and making a buck. No better than damn politicians. Well screw that. My heroes are the REAL people out there. The firefighters, nurses, policemen, blue collar workers and laymen who bust their arses everyday in the REAL world. These pansies wouldn't know what a real job is to save their butts if they had to. Turn the TV off, stop buying CD's and movies. To hell with them all!

Monday 04 April

By haarold

"Pansies"? Have you had that hatred of gays all your life? You are beyond belief.

By Shirlee

Could you have found a less flattering picture of Ms. Garten? Oh well, I suppose she deserved it.

By glen

I always buy her books as gifts for every occasion for friends. Must have bought 100 by now. We've all agree to hold a book burning party and those books will keep us warm at the beach (not the Hamptons, dahhhling - more like Santa Cruz, CA) this weekend and none of us will never buy one or watch her shows again. BTW, they're on 3 x's a day where I live. This just shows she's "not one of us" and never was. We're all parents and know how uncaring her decision was. What a disappointment.

What does Jeffrey think of her now?

Saturday 02 April

By Kathy

Just because you are famous, doesn't mean people have total access to you. If she is busy, leave it at that. She owes no one. If she turned down the request why was it published? Too many people think they are owed. We are battling cancer and I don't feel we need to get something just because of that. Thank you.

By Marlene Lewis

Shame on you Ina Garten!! My son Ilan, terminally ill at the time, was granted a wish by the Children's Wish Foundation in Montreal. I can't possibly imagine anyone refusing to grant a wish to a terminally ill child.Ina should have been honoured to have been asked by the child.I had always been a huge fan of Ina's and now- I will no longer watch her show, buy her books, or have anything to do with Ina Garten. I hope others see fit to do the same. I am sure that this little boy has already been flooded with requests from other celebrity cooks who WILL find it an honour to cook with him.

By Joan

I will no longer watch her cooking show.

She should have met with the child and perhaps she would have received more than she gave which happens when you care about others.

By TR

FOOD NETWORK, REMOVE INA GARTEN SHOW IMMEDIATELY!!!!

PEOPLE BOYCOTT HER STUPID SHOW, INA GARTEN IS A TRASH PERSON, WITHOUT SOUL

By Annette

INA GARTEN tu est la poubelle de l'umanite'. T'aime le francais,
mais nous, Le Francais, nous ne t'aimons pas.
Oublie Paris, ne viens pas ici pour salir notre ville.
J'ESPERE QUE TU LIS CECI, VIEILLE TAPE, ORDURE SALE

By harold

There are some seriously sick individuals posting on this site and over the entire web. To those of you who want the worst of Ina how about venting your anger and hatred by giving to the Make A Wish foundation or any other non profit or would you rather send your garbage at Ina. I do not believe this went down the way TMZ said it did but then you would rather believe them than Ina.

Tuesday 05 April

By Kimo

To busy huh? How can someone be to busy for a child????? especially a sick child! This just shows what type of person she really is! Would be nice if the food network would dump her now and not air any of her shows in the future.

Wednesday 06 April

By Sarah

@ Harold: the seriuosly sick individual are you!!!1
if you think like Ina you are a trash

By Pink

Ina Garten you are a MONSTER!!
wHAT HORRIBLE PERSON YOU ARE!!!

Friday 08 April

By Frankie

I've always thought Ina to be a real Hamptons snob from her shows, cooking for her actor/model-florist-film producer-interior designer gay boy-friends, having elite little "how-simple-was-that" dinner parties. So why am I not surprised that Ina turned down a sick boy's wish to cook with her? Typical.

Tuesday 10 May

By Katherine

Watched her everyday. She was my favorite chef. NO MORE! She brings new meaning to Heartless.

Friday 15 July

By SIMON

I'm so sorry to say, Ina was really one of my favorite people but now I can't stand the sight of her......wierd or what?

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