Bobby Flay and Food Network to Part Ways After 27 Years (EXCLUSIVE)

He's just pissed that Guy Fieri got an $80,000,000 deal with Food Network.

Bobby probably tried to negotiate something similar, but it didn't work.

In fact, after signing that contract, Food Network probably doesn't have money for anyone else.

I'm surprised but totally fine with it as he's way overexposed. They base so many programs on him.

I wish Fieri would leave too. I will never understand his popularity.

It’s insane the guy Fieri was worth that much money. All he cooks is junk food and goes to dives and diners. That channel is going to shit.

R3 trash food culture is now dominating American food culture. Viewers at home just want the same trashy food ideas they themselves could come up with. When they go out to eat they want the same trashy food. It's crazy but it's there.

Good riddance, lizard man! Maybe he can star in a remake of V?

Dick.

Which reminds me... This is HILARIOUS, because it's so cringeworthy. I wish someone had caught it on tape.

Flay is annoying, but Sal Governale is...beyond. Far, far beyond.

Poor Bobby.

He was unceremoniously dumped by Food Network, in much the same way that they did to Emeril Lagasse.

They chew up these chefs, then spit them out.

I realize that Flay doesn’t NEED to be on TV, but what does he do now? It’s not like there really are other TV options beyond the Food Network, aside from maybe a weekly spot on the Today Show or something. Does he just focus on restaurants? Or cookbooks?

R9 PBS and its subsidiary Create TV have cooking and food shows too

Off camera he is a nasty piece of work. I know a couple people who had to deal with him at a local food festival several years ago. He was so nasty the people running the festival had to threaten him to either get his ass in gear or hit the road.

[quote] what does he do now?

Probably go back to his restaurant(s?).

There's always The Cooking Channel.

He could probably go to a network and get a good deal for a primetime show.

The cat is out of the bag:

[quote] Bobby Flay Wanted a $100M Contract to Stay with Food Network

Bobby Flay's 27 years with the Food Network came to an end over money, a source close to the celebrity chef's team tells PEOPLE.

On Friday, news broke that Flay, 56, would be parting ways with the network once his current three-year contract expires at the end of this year.

According to the insider, Flay had been in negotiations with the Food Network and was seeking a deal that would be above Guy Fieri's recent $80 million contract (which reportedly made the Diner, Drive-Ins and Dives host the highest-paid chef on cable TV).

"Bobby wanted a contract in the ballpark of $100 million," the source says.

However, a source close to the Food Network tells PEOPLE comparing the two stars' contracts is "not apples to apples."

"Guy has a three-year deal," they add. "The terms of what Bobby was looking for were gravely different than just cash. The terms were longer, the scope of work was different and thus the dollars were different. It's not just $80 million to $100 million."

Ultimately, the network wouldn't budge in negotiations with Flay. "The two sides were just way too far apart. It became clear the two could not and would not be able to come to terms and so the network decided to move forward without him," the Flay source says. "Regardless, it was really much more amicable than you'd think. It was strictly business."

Food Network had no comment when reached by PEOPLE, while a representative for Flay did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Flay has been a longtime staple on Food Network, having made his debut in 1994. Since then, the culinary master has starred and hosted numerous hit shows — including Boy Meets Grill, Beat Bobby Flay, Food Network Star, Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, Brunch @ Bobby's, and Iron Chef America.

He has won four Daytime Emmys during his years on TV, two James Beard awards, and has even received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Meanwhile, Fieri — who has appeared on the Food Network since winning the second season of The Next Food Network Star in April 2006 — has had a slew of shows on the channel aside from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (his signature series, which has well over 400 episodes). Those include Guy's Grocery Games, Guy's Family Road Trip and more.

Fieri reportedly signed his $80 million deal in May, telling PEOPLE that same month that he and his wife of 26 years, Lori, celebrated by finally pulled the trigger on a place in West Palm Beach.

"We've been trying for a long time to get a place in Florida," he said. "We've been talking about it, talking about it, and talking about it, and we just happened to be back there shooting Triple D and doing some projects, and we contacted a real estate agent who took us around and showed us some stuff. ... [And] we got an awesome place and we're super excited."

"It wasn't because of the contract, but it did coincide," added Fieri, whose home base is in Northern California. "It makes it a lot easier to explain to Lori how I'm buying a house in Florida, when you go, 'I did just do a new contract.' "

I knew that this had everything to do with Guy Fieri's deal.

Bobby Flay has always been jealous of Guy.

What was his deal with January Jones? Am I imagining something?

I know he got divorced a few years back and I thought January Jones had something to do with it, so he probably lost a good chunk of change in that transaction.

Every time I see an ad for his show, "Beat Bobby Flay," I think: I'd be glad to....

*giggle*

Bobby is such an idiot.

He will never find a better gig than what he has on the Food Network.

He barely has to work. And certainly not as hard as he will have to do to keep a restaurant afloat.

I think he forgets how hard it is to be a restaurateur, and all the financial risks involved.

He packs a beer can. Doesn’t that count for something?

Bobby has multiple restaurants. Don't worry about him, asswipe.

Hi Bobby at R21!

You're really a bitter bastard, aren't you?

Meh. He's not cute anymore.

He looks like shit in OP's picture

r17=Stephanie March

They have enough episodes of his numerous shows to ensure that he'll be on Food Network for eternity.

Rofl at R18's link.

Guy Fieri even beat Bobby to the Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!

And Guy had Matthew McConaughey there.

Who was there for Bobby??

Guy Fieri supposedly has an $80 million contract with the Food Network. Bobby Flay was asking for $100 million. Flay seems more intelligent than Fieri. Alas, I'm sure Fieri's ratings are higher. Flay does seem arrogant, at times.

Good riddance to useless trash. Too bad the Food Network didn't do this before its death throes.

[quote] trash food culture is now dominating American food culture. Viewers at home just want the same trashy food ideas they themselves could come up with

Well it is called the *Food* Network, not the cuisine network or the epicurean network. Don't be so precious.

It's not called the Trash Food Network either.

I don’t like Fieri’s food either, but by all accounts he is a lovely and kind person, and probably a lot easier to worth with than Bobby Flay, who’s known as a nasty asshole. I bet Food Network was looking for a way to dump Bobby.

[quote]Poor Bobby. He was unceremoniously dumped by Food Network, in much the same way that they did to Emeril Lagasse.

[quote]Off camera he is a nasty piece of work. I know a couple people who had to deal with him at a local food festival several years ago. He was so nasty the people running the festival had to threaten him to either get his ass in gear or hit the road.

I don’t feel bad for Bobby, R8, as R11 said, he’s not known as being a particularly nice person.

[quote]What was his deal with January Jones? Am I imagining something? I know he got divorced a few years back and I thought January Jones had something to do with it, so he probably lost a good chunk of change in that transaction.

He’s rumored to be her son’s father.

[bold]October 2020:[/bold] This could get messy. I told you a few months ago, the alliterate A-/B+ list actress was trying to get a child support bump. The dad said no. I really thought he would cave so this wouldn't head into the courts and become public.[bold] January Jones/Bobby Flay[/bold] [italic](Ex Wife Says Bobby Flay Is The Father Of January Jones’ Baby) (January Jones shares rare photo of 8-year-old son Xander protesting)[/italic]

Here are a few more blind items courtesy of AGC Webpages:

[bold]NY POST/PAGE SIX...09/03/2003:[/bold] WHICH celebrity chef was recently caught getting in a compromising position with a local transsexual after hours in the kitchen of his Flatiron restaurant? [bold]Bobby Flay[/bold]

[bold]August 2013:[/bold] This A list celebrity chef/television personality was telling friends yesterday that he dodged a bullet. It turns out he had sex with Simon Cowell's new baby mama too and knows it would have been the end of his career if she had got pregnant with his baby. You know, because the chef is married. [bold]Bobby Flay[/bold]

[bold]April 2014:[/bold] This television celebrity chef not named Gordon Ramsay is back at it again. After a six month break of being faithful to his wife he hooked up with an audience member after a cooking demonstration. To get her to leave after he said, "Umm look. I'm going to need you to leave now because I have a tv crew that is going to be here in a few minutes to do an interview." [bold]Bobby Flay[/bold]

[bold]October 2015:[/bold] This celebrity chef says he has a girlfriend after splitting from his wife, but he sure didn’t act like it when he hooked up with this celebrity chef probably more famous for who she used to be married to than her cooking. [bold]Celebrity chef: Bobby Flay (Stephanie March ex-wife), Girlfriend: Giada De Laurentiis, Female celebrity chef: Katie Lee (Billy Joel), Event: "Burnt" movie premiere[/bold]

[bold]June 2016:[/bold] So, the celebrity chef with the really long last name had a husband she cheated on all the time. Then she said she was in love with a new boyfriend but cheated on him multiple times and is now with an actor but she has been cheating on him with some guy she met out of the country. [bold]Chef: Giada De Laurentiis, Husband: Todd Thompson, Boyfriend: Bobby Flay, Actor: Shane Farley, New guy: Kevin Navayne[/bold]

[bold]October 2017:[/bold] Earlier this week, this celebrity chef was hooking up with an A list actress. Last night he hooked up with this former tweener turned adult singer/part-time bad actress. I guess he must have the best party supplies since a love of them is what the two women have in common. [bold]Bobby Flay/Scarlett Johansson/Selena Gomez[/bold]

[bold]May 2020:[/bold] This celebrity chef with multiple shows hooked up with an offspring's best friend. The best friend got pregnant and the chef talked her into an abortion before dumping her. [bold]Bobby Flay/Sophie Flay[/bold]

[bold]September 2020:[/bold] This celebrity chef wouldn't take no from this then and current A+ list dual threat actress and she literally had to leave early because he was so annoying. Her significant other at the time was there, but hitting on any woman he could. [bold]Bobby Flay/Jennifer Aniston/Brad Pitt[/bold] [italic](Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt Emmy Awards Governors Ball Sep 10 2000) (Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Service Show – Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay (2000))[/italic]

[quote]They have enough episodes of his numerous shows to ensure that he'll be on Food Network for eternity.

Would they actually keep airing reruns of Flay's shows, though, if the "split" between the network and Flay is so public? Wouldn't Food just yank all of his shows from rotation?

Bobby's a great chef but he doesn't have much of a personality. He's sorta sexy but he has been married and divorced 3 times. Must be quite a difficult person to get along with.

Good riddance. He's obnoxious. There was no point in watching Beat Bobby Flay because even if the competing chef was better than he was, he still had to be declared the winner. What an ego on someone who was just a mediocre cook with an irritating frat boy personality.

Let us show you the door, Bobby. Don't let it hit you on the way out!

This is what happens when Frau's invade this site.

The Food Network will make a dozen BIPOC personality/"chefs" stars for the cost of a pale, stale, and male asshole.

Wasn't the Stephanie March/Bobbie Fray divorce especially ugly with her making charges of violent physical abuse? Of course, I'm sure she's no shrinking violet in her private life either.

So Flay has Emmys, Peabodys and is a chef with real restaurants and they chose trash Fairy over him?

Wow.

Fairy is gross looking. This country is really turning to trash.

Haven’t watched FN in years. Don’t miss it. I watch Create when I get the chance.

Ugh, I can't believe that fat twat Guy Fieri makes 80 mil.

R41, I think you're mixing up March with Diane Neal.

Flay is blech. Tyler Forence...now there is a real man. Handsome face, broad shoulders, big muscles and chest.....

Bobby Flay was fucking Katie Couric for a while.

"He could probably go to a network and get a good deal for a primetime show."

ITA. He has huge name recognition. He'll probably go to a fledgling streamer like Peacock to produce and star in a bunch of food-related and restaurant-related shows.

Tyler Florence is a fat fuck.

Fucking fat facer.

No R44 he was married to Stephanie March.

Food Network went right wing low rent with Fieri

Y'all just jelly.

Fieri looks like his taint stinks

actually he looks like the human personification of a dirty, smelly taint

I can see him going to QVC to sell his own new miracle air fryer and line of BBQ accessories.

[quote]Tyler Florence is a fat fuck.

Have you seen Rocco DiSpirito lately?

Bobby is a fucking asshole but I’m sure Giada will continue to slurp his jizz.

Leave my Guy Fieri alone. I'll take him and the ranch, too.

That is a lot of TEA at R34!

Damn, Bobby Flay is really messy.

No wonder Food Network hates him.

Guy Fieri comes with much less drama.

[quote]Food Network went right wing low rent with Fieri

Looks can be deceiving, he's a Democrat and a good guy.

Fieri’s an asshole R60.

R1 nailed this. The has 100% to do with how much money they gave Fieri. Flay is jealous.

Honestly I was surprised FN could afford to give Guy that much cash.

Godzilla stomped the shit out of Flavortown.

Oh wow, didn't know that R61.

Almost all celebrities are arseholes. That's why gossip sites like this exist.

R56 who’s that total piece of ass on the far right??

[quote] who’s that total piece of ass on the far right??

Chef Tim Lipman of the "Coolinary Cafe" in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

He's definitely hot.

October 8, 2021:

[quote]Apparently this celebrity chef wanted the same size deal as the frosted hair chef. That wasn't going to be possible. One of the questions is how many will depart with him. He has talked to four who would be willing. [bold]Bobby Flay/Guy Fieri/"Food Network"[/bold]

If true, who are the four?

Chef Tim Lipman is cute.

Bobby Flay and/or his company produced shows for a lot of other FN personalities.

I dislike Guy but hate Bobby. Glad he didn't get what he wanted.

Jeffrey Zacharian is already on QVC. Don’t know if there is room for both.

Jeffrey sells pans and mandolines and shit like that.

I don’t think Bobby needs to sell shit products.

Who has Flay beaten lately?

Giada could leave, maybe Anne Burrell?

I’d like to think Ina is too classy for the shit the network has become. So she could leave.

Who else? I don’t even know who has regular shows on the network anymore.

Alton Brown?

Is the Food Network still broadcasting out of the upper floors of the Chelsea Market building in Chelsea or has it moved its studios?

[quote] Is the Food Network still broadcasting out of the upper floors of the Chelsea Market building in Chelsea or has it moved its studios?

Funny you ask, because I noticed that Chopped recently moved to a completely new studio.

To deal with Covid, they moved into a loft-type of building with real windows (and real light shining in), work stations spaced far apart, everyone has their own fryer, although they still share the refrigerator, vegetables, and pantry.

I thought it was really cool.

Women liked Bobby Flay because he was hot. Not so hot anymore. If he really had talent or charisma, they would've kept him.

[quote]Women liked Bobby Flay because he was hot. Not so hot anymore. If he really had talent or charisma, they would've kept him.

I have no idea what you are talking about.

Bobby Flay's taste in women seems like Howard Stern's and Phil Hartman's.

Food Network needs to find some new chefs/hosts. It's been all the same faces for the past decade or so. Are there no up-and-coming, TV-friendly chefs out there?

IMO, there are so many cooking videos on YouTube. Why do you need Food Network.

How about "Cooking With Midgets, Starring Amy Roloff"

Food Network still has its corporate headquarters in Chelsea r75, but a lot of shows aren't filmed there. Guy lives in California, and Guys Grocery Games films there for instance. And I know The Kitchen is filmed in Montclair New Jersey.

Most of Food Network these days are food related competition shows r81. It's more game show entertainment than trying to teach anyone to cook.

Always got a gay or bi vibe from Flay. Guy Fieri is trashy. Like the state of Florida. The classiest and best celebuchefs are still Ina Garten & Martha Stewart.

Flay seems very straight to me. I hope Giada gave him a hard time as his girlfriend for a while.

Bobby Flay is gay AF!

[quote] He's just pissed that Guy Fieri got an $80,000,000 deal with Food Network.

Ironic since Bobby was the one who picked Guy to win Next Foodwork Star when he was a judge. I bet he regrets this decision now in creating this monster and wish he would’ve picked the other guy to win. This is like Simon Cowell being jealous that Kelly Clarkson now makes more money than him.

I don't even care anymore if he's straight or gay. Who cares? He's a HORROR!

Anne Burrell‘s a tough product to market. See her on anything new lately?

Zacharian gives off a gay vibe. Flay, not so much. Flay’s just an asshole.

He is not the father of January Jones son. I think Claudia Schiffer's husband is the father of her son

Here's Bobby Flay as a kid. He looks nothing like January's son

Agreed R92! I've looked at multiple photos of January's son and he is a dead ringer for Schiffer's husband. Also, January fits his "type". Icy blonde, thin, pale skinned

Sorry ladies, I don't agree with you. I like Guy and think he's funny. That said, I don't know much about his cooking style but he's certainly an educated chef.

[quote]Jeffrey Zacharian

It's Geoffrey.

And Zakarian.

Told you. R95.

I hope this clears the way to give the pioneer woman more shows. I can't get enough of her colorful caftans!

Not to mention Ree's sexy ass brother!

Oh, look!

The "Uncle Mike" troll has joined us at R98.

We missed you, "Uncle Mike" troll!

Well actually, we didn't.

Ree's nephew is the hottie. I'd eat his ass after he had the shits from one of her lousy sheet pan suppers.

Squeeeee!!!! Christmas came early!

[quote] Ree's nephew is the hottie. I'd eat his ass after he had the shits from one of her lousy sheet pan suppers.

YUCKKKKK!!!

YUMMMMM!!!

Lol R103.

Uncle Mike is NOT gay.

He likes pussy!

Omg just saw Rocco Dispirito on Guy Fieri’s show, he must’ve gained 80lbs! What happened? Is he on steroids due to illness or just Covid chub, it was a shocking transformation.

Rocco had been gaining weight for a while, but yes he has really ballooned into a porker. And he used to be pretty sexy, surprised he would let himself go like that.

R106 he was writing DIET books not so long ago. Wow!

He blames it on a surgery he had and his mother dying.

[Quote]While still mourning his loss, DiSpirito had to undergo spinal surgery, namely an “emergency diskectomy – for his acute sciatica,” according to sources close to him.This left him largely unable to move while he recovered. Since then, DiSpirito has struggled with weight gain due to stress, anxiety and not having complete mobility

I’m sad for Rocco

I saw Rocco last night too. He’s still sexy to me. I don’t give a damn about the weight gain.

I remember how much I loved The Restaurant anyone know. If it streaming anywhere?

I found the link to Season 1 of The Restaurant, I honestly forgot how hot Rocco was back then. The restaurant opening/operation was a total shitshow.

Rocco was hot and Bobby Flay is the worlds biggest asshole.

Rocco looks like he might be stuck on pain meds. Bobby's a great chef!

Bobby's BACK, baby!

[quote] Bobby Flay Sets New Deal With Food Network After Stalled Talks Quietly Resumed

Variety Bobby Flay Sets New Deal With Food Network After Stalled Talks Quietly Resumed (EXCLUSIVE) Cynthia Littleton Mon, November 22, 2021, 2:00 AM

Bobby Flay and Discovery’s Food Network have reached an agreement on a new three-year contract, a deal that comes about six weeks after negotiations stalled because the sides were too far apart on financial terms.

The celebrity chef, restaurateur and author has set an exclusive pact that will keep him in the Discovery family through the middle of the decade and up to his 30th on-air anniversary with the cabler. The new contract also expands the scope of content opportunities available to Flay’s Rock Shrimp Productions, which produces most of his shows for Food Network. And the wide-ranging deal comes just as Discovery is poised to grow significantly through its pending merger with WarnerMedia.

Food Network executives ended talks with Flay’s representatives at WME in early October after what sources described was an impasse over financial terms and the scope of the deal. Flay’s negotiations with Food Network came in the shadow of fellow network personality Guy Fieri having made headlines in May by setting an eye-popping three-year deal valued in the high eight-figure range.

“We are thrilled to continue Bobby Flay’s long-standing relationship with Food Network. He captivates our audience with his incredible culinary skill, fierce competitive spirit and his trademark ability to share a deep passion for food,” said Courtney White, president of Food Network and food streaming content for Discovery. “Bobby generously invites viewers into his culinary world, sharing his #WeCook philosophy and inspiring everyone in the kitchen. Continuing this creative relationship with such an extraordinary talent is the perfect way to usher in the holidays.”

In an interview with Variety, Flay acknowledged that there were tense moments and a long pause in a tough negotiation. He also noted that he’s taken quite a few meetings in recent weeks and realized the depth of the demand for food-related TV content, from cooking shows to travelogues to kitchen-verite documentaries to wacky culinary competition series.

“Every single major network and single streaming service has, to use a pun, a very big appetite for this programming,” he said.

But in his travels, Flay said he did not find an outlet that felt like a better fit than the channel where he has worked for most of his adult life. Flay first appeared on Food Network in 1994 and within two years was co-hosting his own series, “Grillin’ and Chillin’.” He’s been a regular on the channel’s air ever since with his most recent series including the cooking competition “Beat Bobby Flay” and his tour of New York City culinary delights in “The Flay List,” co-hosted with his young adult daughter Sophie.

“I have an amazing family at Food Network and a great foundation. And I have a sizable library of food television here,” Flay said. “I’m a lucky person. I grew up in a time when this country finally decided that food was important.”

Flay hopes to push the boundaries of what is considered food-centric programming now that Discovery has even more outlets for programming in the Discovery Plus streamer. Flay has already been working in different genres such as the upcoming travelogue-focused series “Bobby and Sophie on the West Coast.”

“It’s always been my determination to always evolve. It’s part of why I’ve been able to stay relevant in this genre,” Flay said. “I’m going to be pitching a lot of things that we haven’t seen when it comes to this kind of programing. I’m ready to turn the page and create a new chapter of what (foodie TV) is going to look like.”

Flay’s long tenure on Food Network has also put him in a position to serve as a mentor and coach for less experienced Food Network talent, especially the entrepreneurs who, like Flay, juggle multiple jobs as TV personalities and producers, chefs and restaurateurs.

Did Bobby accept he doesn't get as much money as Guy or did Food Network offer more.

[quote] Did Bobby accept he doesn't get as much money as Guy or did Food Network offer more.

Somewhere in the middle. More money, for sure, but closer to FN's original offer than Guy Fieri Pay.

Smart move by Food Network.

Bobby fans are very different from Guy fans.

Getting rid of one star would alienate the fans of the other star.

This way, everybody's happy.

Plus, both these guys get great ratings, so it really it a win for everyone all-around.

[quote]his 30th on-air anniversary with the cabler.

Sounds like he's been in a relationship with a Comcast technician.

Where would he have gone and gotten comparable pay if FN was no longer an option? Netflix?

QVC, same as Geoffrey Zakarian and Alex Guarnaschelli.