‘MasterChef’ Finalist Josh Marks Dropped By Sponsors After Assault Arrest

MasterChef finalist Josh Marks has been dropped by two sponsors following his assault arrest earlier this week.

A representative for the Make A Sound Project, a non-profit suicide awareness group, told TMZ that they were cutting ties with the 26-year-old.

“We appreciate what Josh has done for us but we’re in the market of helping people,” the representative said. “So, we’ll keep him in our prayers… but as of now Chef Marks will be dropped as a spokesman.”

Marks has also been released from the cooking competition Culinary Fight Night, a nationwide cooking competition. Marks was supposed to be a celebrity judge for the event, but was dropped because they didn’t want to put fans in danger.

“We won’t have this man tarnish the integrity of our brand,” CFN added.

Marks’ attorney, Lisa Marie Butler, said that the MasterChef season 3 runner-up was being evaluated for mental illness following his arrest.

“We are working closely with medical professionals to determine if Josh’s behavior could be related to mental health symptoms,” Butler said. “The Josh that you are hearing about in police reports this morning is not the spirited gentle giant that we know.”

On Monday, Josh Marks was spotted trying to use an emergency phone near the University of Chicago campus. He had visible cuts on his face. A UCPD officer asked him if anything was wrong, and Marks lunged at him and tried to take his gun. It took five police officers to finally subdue the 7-foot chef, who was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries. Marks then went on a rant about how Gordon Ramsey possessed his body and turned him into God.

Authorities didn’t find any evidence of drug use after Marks was arrested. Doctors, however, found and removed bullet fragments in his face that were from an unrelated incident.

What do you think of Josh Marks being dropped by two sponsors after his arrest? Do you think he is mentally ill?