Guy Fieri is a food celebrity who's familiar to just about everyone. Some TV viewers are huge fans of "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives," a Food Network tradition since 2007. Others dislike Fieri's restaurants, which seem to be opening and closing all the time. According to Parade Magazine in 2024, Fieri currently owns 17 different restaurant brands. Whatever your opinion on Guy, he is one of the Food Network titans with massive fame who isn't going anywhere.
However, just where does he land on a list of top-earning chefs these days? Despite his many TV shows, restaurants and commercials, Fieri's net worth in 2024 might surprise you. Since winning a Food Network competition in 2006, his journey to stardom moved quickly. As TV's top-earning chef since 2021, Fieri is now one of the great success stories in the food world.
Head back in time with us to discover how Fieri's star rose as a TV chef and host. Along the way, you may learn things about him you would have never guessed. We'll take you right through to his $100 million deal with Food Network, re-establishing his "highest-paid" status for the future.
How Did Guy Fieri Get His Start?
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Explore Fieri's first steps that led to owning his first restaurant chain. His early professional life also steered him into winning "The Next Food Network Star" and becoming the host of "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives."
While in high school in Ferndale, California, Fieri sold pretzels. His food cart was called Awesome Pretzel, which he started to raise money for a trip to France as an exchange student. He also worked at the Red Lion Inn in Northern California before attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In 1990, Fieri graduated from UNLV with a degree in hotel management.
After college, Fieri managed a restaurant called Stouffer's, located in Long Beach, California. He was also a district manager for six locations of the California-based chain Louise's Trattoria. His first foray into owning a restaurant began in 1996. Alongside business partner Steve Gruber, he opened Johnny Garlic's in Santa Rosa, California.
Johnny Garlic's grew to four locations and was joined by Tex Wasabi's, a combination barbecue-sushi joint. In 2015, Eater reported that Fieri separated himself from Johnny Garlic's and sold the shares to Gruber.
Food Network Star
In 2006, Guy Fieri won the second season of "The Next Food Network Star." For winning, he was given six episodes of his own cooking show called "Guy's Big Bite." Many people don't realize that "Guy's Big Bite" ran for 10 years, from 2006 to 2016.
We're all more familiar with the iconic "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" — and his references to "Flavortown" — which made Fieri a household name. "Triple D" premiered in April 2007 after an initial one-hour special in 2006. As of 2024, "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" has been going strong on the Food Network for nearly 17 years.
The Host With the Most
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Fieri has hosted many other Food Network shows since his early days, including "Ultimate Recipe Showdown" and "Guy Off the Hook." He's been a co-host alongside Rachael Ray on "Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off" and "Rachael vs. Guy: Kids Cook-Off."
His Food Network shows don't stop there. He's also hosted "Dinner: Impossible" and "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," and he currently hosts "Guy's Grocery Games." He's also been a guest judge on "Food Network Star," although none of the winners have been as successful as Fieri.
Outside of Food Network, he hosted the game show "Minute to Win It" on NBC, from 2009 to 2021. He was the recipient of a 2013 Daytime Emmy Award for the Food Network special "Guy Fieri's Family Reunion." And don't forget "Guy's Family Road Trip" in 2017, which featured Lori, Guy's wife since 1995, and their sons Hunter and Ryder.
Guy Fieri's Current Restaurants
Because of Fieri's growing popularity as a Food Network host, the number of restaurants he has owned increased, too. He opened Guy's American Kitchen and Bar in New York City in 2012. It stayed open until 2017 but received a famously scathing review from The New York Times.
In 2014, he opened Guy Fieri's Vegas Kitchen and Bar, followed by Guy Fieri's Baltimore Kitchen & Bar in 2015. Guy Fieri's other restaurant ventures include Guy's Burger Joint, Chicken Guy! and Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse Brewhouse.
How Much is Guy Fieri Worth in 2024?
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Fieri's immense net worth has been steadily growing since his early start hosting "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" in 2007. Mashed reported that he signed a massive, $80 million deal in 2021, making him the highest-paid TV chef around. He beat out Gordon Ramsay, the Pioneer Woman Rhee Drummond, and Ina Garten.
In 2024, Yahoo stated that Fieri signed a brand-new deal with Food Network for a whopping $100 million. According to Forbes, the deal broke down to earnings of $26 million annually. This is a far cry from what Guy originally earned hosting "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" — $1,000 an episode. Forbes reported that "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" earned over $230 million in 2020 alone, which seems to make the big paycheck well-deserved.
In addition to running his empire, Fieri has contributed to multiple good causes over the years. He's been known to welcome both veterans and Make-A-Wish families to attend "Guy's Grocery Games" tapings. He helped raise over $21.5 million for unemployed restaurant workers when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. The Guy Fieri Foundation recently hosted a Chefs for Maui Fundraiser that earned $1.5 million toward wildfire relief.
No matter what Fieri's net worth is, he's been super successful as a Food Network host, restaurant owner and giving person. Some Fieri fans even started a 2020 petition to rename his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, to — of course — Flavortown.
