Why Bobby Flay Is Leaving Food Network After 27 Years: Report

Bobby Flay is leaving his home network of 27 years, a report says. The superstar chef is said to be cutting ties with the Food Network after contract negotiations fell through.

Flay and Food Network failed to reach a new contract agreement as both parties were far apart on financial terms, unnamed sources close to the network exclusively told Variety Thursday.

Flay’s current contract — believed to be worth $80 million — with the Discovery-owned cabler covers three years, and it is expected to expire sometime later this year. Without a new contract in place, the 56-year-old restaurateur and businessman is free to leave the channel at year’s end.

When asked for comment on the situation, Flay’s representatives declined and cited the policy of not releasing a statement when negotiations are still active.

However, Variety’s sources claimed that Food Network has already made its decision after trying to negotiate things with Flay for a while now. The culinary network also declined to comment.

The move may come as a shock to the celebrity chef’s fans as he has been part of the network since 1994, when the cable channel was still in its early days on the air, according to New York Post.

Flay has been a staple of Food Network’s programming for almost three decades. He has starred in a number of shows, including “Beat Bobby Flay,” “Chopped,” “Worst Cooks in America,” “Brunch at Bobby’s,” “Iron Chef America,” “The Best Thing I Ever Ate,” “Grillin’ and Chillin’” and “The Next Food Network Star.”

The cooking show host’s latest project with the channel was “The Flay List,” which he did with his daughter Sophie.

Outside of his television career, Flay, who was the first chef to get a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, runs a slew of very successful restaurants across the country. He is the executive chef of Amalfi in Las Vegas, Gato in New York and Bobby’s Burger Palace that operates in 11 states, Deadline reported.

The Daytime Emmy Award winner has penned several cookbooks and was also featured on the television show “Great Chefs.”