After almost thirty years with the channel, chef Bobby Flay has announced his decision to leave the Food Network.
Flay first started on the Food Network in 1994, and over the past two-and-a-half decades, he’s starred in 16 shows and specials. This includes series like Beat Bobby Flay, Grillin’ and Chillin, and Brunch at Bobby’s, Us Weekly reports. He also acted as a judge on The Next Iron Chef and The Next Food Network Star.
Variety was the first publication to report on Flay’s departure. The outlet explains that the restauranteur has been negotiating with the Food Network for 'some time' over a new contract, as his most recent three-year deal expires at the end of this year.
It’s unclear what motivated Flay’s decision to leave the network, but Variety notes that Food Network was the one who decided to cease negotiations. They add that sources close to the channel said they disagreed about the financial terms.
However, neither Flay nor the Food Network have directly responded to the news since it was made public.
In 2018, it was reported that Flay had entered into a three-year content pact with the Food Network. The agreement renewed his current shows as well as agreed on the production of a new one, The Flay List, which Flay and his daughter, Sophie Flay, have since made one season of.
It wasn’t made public how much Flay made from the three-year deal. But the chef did say at the time he was looking forward to expanding his content production since Discovery acquired the Food Network’s parent company, Scripps Networks, which also owns popular channels like HGTV and the Travel Channel, in a $14.6 million deal.
“In my conversations with (Discovery CEO) David Zaslav, he’s expressed a desire to bring the content I produce with my Rock Shrimp Productions team to an even more global audience,” Flay said about expanding production.
It’s unclear what the future holds for Flay’s career, including whether he plans to still pursue television. Then again, he’s busy enough as it is, as he's still the owner and executive chef of several upscale restaurants, including Las Vegas’ Amalfi, New York’s Gato, and Bobby’s Burger Palace, which has 19 locations in 11 American states.
With a net worth of approximately $66 million, Flay has the funds to invest in new projects or to take time off from the public eye. But fans may have to go to his restaurants rather than turn on their T.V. if they want to catch a glimpse of him from now on, at least for the time being.