Italian actress and model Asia Argento has been a headline magnet recently, with the recent reveal that the pillar for the #MeToo movement had paid off a man who'd accused her of sexually assaulting him when he was 17. The situation already got her booted from an upcoming stint on one TV show, and now her past appearances on Anthony Bourdain's CNN travel show Parts Unknown can no longer be seen, as the network has completely removed Argento's episodes from both its website and from linear airings.
CNN made the decision to pull the two episodes of Parts Unknown that Asia Argento was featured in, which include the "Rome" installment from Season 8, and the Season 11's "Hong Kong" episode. Both eps are notable specifically for Argento's involvement, too. Anthony Bourdain's trip to Rome marked the first time he met his future girlfriend, who served as his tour guide through the non-tourist sections of the country's southern region. And it was in the "Hong Kong" installment, which was directed by Argento, that Bourdain first spoke of their relationship on the culinary series. Both episodes were among the celebrity chef's favorites, as well.
It's unclear how long the Parts Unknown episodes will remain stricken from CNN, but it likely isn't a permanent removal. Here's the statement the network provided to Buzzfeed News .
In light of the recent news reports about Asia Argento, CNN will discontinue airing past episodes of Parts Unknown that included her, until further notice.
It's been reported that the "Buenos Aires" Parts Unknown episode has also apparently been removed from CNN's platforms. The episode doesn't feature Asia Argento, but does feature Anthony Bourdain speaking with a therapist about his depression. CNN had not made additional comments about why this episode was also missing.
Asia Argento, who was dating Anthony Bourdain at the time of his death in June, was revealed to have paid $380,000 to actor Jimmy Bennett as a settlement after he alleged she'd given him alcohol before sexually assaulting him when he was 17. Argento has patently denied the assault claims, but did admit to paying Bennett off, saying she and Bourdain considered him dangerous and wanted to pay him to avoid negative publicity. Since then, she has been fired from her duties on the reality competition show X Factor Italy.
Parts Unknown is obviously coming to a close in the aftermath of host Anthony Bourdain's death, with the final produced episodes set to air in the latter part of 2018. but it remains a highly popular program on CNN, which continues to regularly air repeats. Stay tuned for more info, and head to our fall TV premiere schedule to see what other new and returning shows are hitting primetime soon.
