Jamie Oliver Withdraws Kids’ Book Offensive to Indigenous Australians

Oliver and his publisher admitted that no one consulted any Indigenous organisation, community or individual during the writing of the book.

Jamie Oliver attends the 67th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall in London, England, on Oct. 5, 2023. Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for BFI

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s second attempt to join a fast-growing number of celebrities-turned-children’s-book-authors has met a major roadblock.

His publisher, Penguin Random House UK, announced that it will withdraw all copies of his 400-page fantasy novel “Billy and the Epic Escape” for primary school-age children after it was slated for its insensitivity to Aboriginal Australians who are members of the “Stolen Generation”—people forcibly removed from their parents and communities and sent to live with white foster families.