March 29, 2024

shinjusushibrooklyn

Than a Food Fitter

Bobby Flay to Leave Food Network After 27 Years Once Contract Expires: Report

2 min read
bobby-flay.jpg

bobby-flay.jpg

Ethan Miller/Getty

Bobby Flay‘s time with Food Network appears to be coming to an end.

The celebrity chef, 56, is set to part ways with the network once his current three-year contract expires at the end of this year, according to Variety.

The outlet, citing sources close to the situation, reports that Food Network has ended negotiations with Flay, choosing to move on without the star after both parties could not agree on financial terms.

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.

fn-2

fn-2

Scott Gries/Food Network

RELATED: All the Food Network Stars Who Have Gotten Real About Their Personal Lives

In 2017, Flay made waves after reports surfaced that he had abruptly quit Food Network’s Iron Chef franchise when he removed his chef’s coat to show off a shirt that read “THIS IS MY LAST IRON CHEF BATTLE EVER” during a filming of Iron Chef Showdown.

While he initially brushed off the stunt as a joke, Flay later confirmed that he had indeed departed the cooking competition series.

“The network was not thrilled,” he said of the incident during the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in 2018. “I thought it would be good TV. They didn’t think of it that way, and that’s obviously their prerogative.”

RELATED VIDEO: Bobby Flay Buys New $7.6 Million Home — After Former Owners Build His Dream Outdoor Kitchen

“[Food Network] said to me, ‘Why didn’t you tell us?’, and I was like ‘I didn’t tell anyone. That’s the whole point, that it’s a surprise!’ ” said the four-time Daytime Emmy Award winner.

At the time, Flay said that despite making a scene, he had no bad blood with Food Network and executives had been “incredibly supportive of everything that I do.”

“It was no big deal,” he added.

Earlier this year, Flay launched a podcast with his daughter Sophie — titled Always Hungry — and saw the opening of his first Italian restaurant, Amalfi.

shinjusushibrooklyn.com | Newsphere by AF themes.