Jamie Oliver hugs Aboriginal lawyer in touching moment during interview with Narelda Jacobs after he took ‘offensive’ children’s book off the shelves: ‘It was very painful’

Jamie Oliver has shared a touching moment with an Aboriginal activist after his second children’s book, Billy and the Epic Escape, was pulled from Australian shelves.

The British chef, 49, made the decision following condemnation of the ‘harmful and disrespectful’ indigenous plot.

Oliver sat down for an interview with 10 News First’s Narelda Jacobs this week, during which he shared a hug with Mundanara Bayles, BlackCard’s CEO and co-founder.

The pair had had a lengthy video call the day before, during which they talked about the issues raised by the First Nations community, with Bayles admitting tears were shed during the emotional conversation.

“I’m a big believer that if you do things wrong in life, you can run away from it and just bury your head under the ground and pretend it didn’t happen,” a clearly moved Oliver told Jacobs.

“I really believe in this book, I really believe in its purpose and I’m going to take some time to learn and then see what happens.

Jamie Oliver (pictured) has shared a touching moment with an Aboriginal activist after his second children’s book, Billy and the Epic Escape, was pulled from Australian shelves

‘I’m going to learn, I’m going to reflect and it is my intention to do something special with this.’

Bayles said something good came out of the whole episode, with Oliver “shining a light globally” on the struggles of First Nations people in Australia.

Although Oliver said he learned a lot through the process, it was nevertheless a “painful” experience.

‘It has been very painful, this whole debacle. So I’m going home tonight having learned some things and hopefully from this moment of reflection we’ll do something really special.”

Oliver said he came to understand why there was backlash against the book.

“I understand it was offensive, and that’s why it was even more painful for me because that was never the intention,” he said.

“I didn’t see it… So I had to learn about that… I would never have put those things together, and of course I would never have seen them as stereotypes, but that’s why we did it. So let’s pull it. Let’s take a swing. Let’s think.’

Oliver has issued two apologies for his fantasy novel, in which the villain kidnaps a young Aboriginal girl from a foster home in a chapter titled ‘To Steal a Child’.

The British chef sparked a backlash when the villain in his book (pictured) kidnapped a young Aboriginal girl from a foster home, in a story that First Nations communities deemed “harmful” and “disrespectful.”

“It was not designed for any reason… my knowledge of the stolen nation was clearly not there,” he said. ‘[If it had been] “I wouldn’t have written it that way,” he said.

“It really had no connection – in my opinion – with any knowledge of the terrible things that have happened in Australia’s history.”

Billy And The Epic Escape came under fire from The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation (NATSIEC).

The educational institution called for the book, a 400-page fantasy novel for primary school children, to be withdrawn from circulation.

Natsiec CEO Sharon Davis criticized the implications that First Nations families are “easily influenced by money and neglect the safety of their children.”

Last Sunday, Oliver and publisher Penguin Random House UK announced they had pulled the book from shelves in all countries where it owns the rights, including Britain and Australia.

The news came after Oliver himself apologized for ‘stereotyping’ Indigenous Australians in his second children’s book, published in May.

“I am devastated to hear that I have offended anyone and I sincerely apologize,” Oliver said in a statement to The Guardian.

“I’m listening and reflecting and working closely with my publisher on the next steps.”

The celebrity chef is currently in Australia to promote his latest cookbook, Simply Jamie.

“It was never my intention to misinterpret this very painful issue,” he said. ‘Together with my publishers, we have decided to withdraw the book from sale.’

In particular, the chapter entitled To Steal a Child appears to be a reference to The Stolen Generations, a dark period in history when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were removed from their families by the Australian federal and state government.

Oliver sat down this week for an interview with 10 News First’s Narelda Jacobs (far left), during which he shared a hug with Mundanara Bayles (center), the CEO and co-founder of the BlackCard

“I’m a big believer that when you do things wrong in life, you can run away from it and just bury your head under the ground and pretend it didn’t happen,” a moved Oliver told Jacobs.

For approximately a century, thousands of Aboriginal children were systematically taken from their families, communities and cultures.

‘These children were taken by the police; from their homes; on the way to or from school according to the Healing Foundation. ‘They were placed in more than 480 institutions, adopted or cared for by non-indigenous people and often subjected to abuse.

‘The children were denied any access to their culture, they were not allowed to speak their language and if they did they were punished. The consequences of this are still being felt today.’

‘[It] It perpetuates a racist stereotype that has been used for more than a century to justify the removal of children,” said Davis, CEO of NAITSEC.

“This image is not only offensive, but also reinforces harmful prejudices.”

Oliver and his publisher have admitted that no consultation with Indigenous Australians took place prior to the book’s publication.

Penguin Random House UK apologized for the ‘editorial oversight’.

Davies said the book “perpetuated harmful stereotypes” and its portrayal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders was “irresponsible”.

Billy And The Epic Escape came under fire from The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation (NATSIEC)

“We urge Penguin Books and Jamie Oliver to recognize the impact of their content and take swift action to prevent further damage,” she told The Guardian.

“Penguin Books should withdraw Billy and the Epic Escape from circulation, and specifically remove any content featuring First Nations characters and cultural references.”

The book is Oliver’s 2024 follow-up to his 2023 children’s book debut, Billy and the Giant Adventure.

The story is set in England, but includes a subplot of a young First Nations girl living in a foster home, before being stolen from her Indigenous community, near Alice Springs, by the book’s antagonist.

The book also contained errors because Oliver had attempted to use indigenous words from the Arrernte language of Alice Springs and the Gamilaraay people of NSW and Queensland.

Oliver is currently in Australia to present a live chat about his new book Simply Jamie at the Coliseum in Sydney called Jamie Oliver: The Joy of Cooking.

Oliver first rose to fame on the cooking show The Naked Chef, which ran from 1999 to 2001.

Through his television and publishing career he has sold more than 46 million books worldwide and reached an estimated global TV audience of 67 million.