A woman is going viral on TikTok after calling out a celebrity chef for selling her a fried turkey with the giblets still inside.
User @mi_y1, who posts snippets of her daily life on TikTok, said she was excited to try fried turkey for the first time, especially one from a celebrity chef, but her excitement quickly turned to disappointment.
“Imagine being so excited to eat fried turkey for the first time on Thanksgiving, cutting it, and then realizing the bag was left inside,” @mi_y1 says in her video, which had racked up more than 2 million views as of Monday.
“This was fried with the bag left inside,” she adds, referring to the giblets.
@mi_y1 says she immediately texted the chef, who is based in Philadelphia, with a picture as proof—but didn’t hear back. That is, until her video went viral.
“Absolutely disgusting,” @mi_y1 said. In the comments, she named the chef: Chef Milly from Philly.
Who Is Chef Milly From Philly?
After @mi_y1’s video went viral, Chef Milly got in touch. She shared a screenshot of his apology in the comments of her TikTok.
“Truly apologize. I had a employee cleaning & washing turkeys while I seasoned & fried. Truly apologize,” the message, sent via Instagram, read.
Chef Milly, whose real name is Emili Medley, is a Philadelphia-based chef known for appearing on “Hell’s Kitchen.” He competed on Season 14 and returned for the All Stars Season 17, reaching the final four both times.
He is known for soulful, comfort-food cooking with a creative twist. After Hell’s Kitchen, Medley worked at several of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants.
Since the show, he’s stayed busy in the food world, running pop-ups, managing restaurants, chatting with fans online—and, as @mi_y1’s video shows, selling them food.
Cooking Turkey With The Giblets Inside
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, you can sometimes eat a turkey that was cooked with the giblets bag still inside, but it really depends on the type of bag and how it held up in the oven.
If the bag is paper, the turkey and giblets are generally safe to eat as long as the turkey reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, as measured with a food thermometer.
Plastic bags are trickier. If the bag didn’t melt, warp, or smell funny, the turkey and giblets are usually fine if the meat reached 165 degrees. But if the plastic melted or changed shape, it’s safest to throw out the turkey and everything inside. Chemicals from the plastic could have leached into the meat.
Always use a food thermometer to check. Measure the thickest part of the breast, the inner thigh, and the wing joint. All should reach 165 degrees to make sure bacteria are killed.
In the future, though, it’s best to remove the giblet bag before cooking. You can cook the giblets separately to make gravy or stock, keeping the flavors without any safety concerns.
Viewers React to Woman’s Fried Turkey
People who watched @mi_y1’s video were shocked by what they saw as a holiday mishap, a fried turkey served with the giblets still inside. Many said they would have been furious in her place, with one suggesting they would dispute the charge on their card.
“I would be so p-ssed,” one commenter wrote. “Hopefully u get a refund.”
“I would’ve been throwing up the whole lining of my stomach,” added another.
“Me calling the bank to dispute the charge,” a third quipped.
Others defended Chef Milly, criticizing @mi_y1 for posting the video and implying she was chasing clout. They also noted that leaving the giblets in the turkey isn’t usually a serious problem.
“You expected him to reply within hours during the holiday?” one person asked.
@mi_y1 Happy Thanksgiving ? #philly #chefmilly #friedturkey ♬ original sound – ?
“TikTok has made people lose grace! We are worried about videos going viral that we forget people are humans, we make mistakes, that’s what makes us human! This was such a small mistake, and the chefs response was an apology there was no need for this videos! It’s Thanksgiving, let’s be thankful!” said another.
“The bag is literally just turkey guts,” added a third. “He should have taken it out, but it’s literally not a problem lol.”
Some viewers admitted they had made the same mistake themselves.
“Yup, I did that this year,” one said.
“I’ve done this accidentally MULTIPLE TIMES,” another added.
“My mom did that once, and I’m not gonna lie, we still ate it,” admitted a third.
The Mary Sue has reached out to @mi_y1 via TikTok direct message.
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