Bobby Flay to quit Food Network after 27 years, report says

• Chef Bobby Flay and the Food Network are set to go their separate ways after 27 years, Variety reported.
• Since the inception of the Food Network, Flay has been a beacon in its programming.
• Flay dropped out of high school and became a chef at age 20.

Legendary chef Bobby Flay and the Food Network are set to go their separate ways after 27 years, Variety’s Cynthia Littleton reported Thursday.

Flay and the network are said to be in the middle of contract negotiations, ahead of their current three-year contract expiring later this year, and sources told the publication that the network has ended the talks. Variety reported that a source close to the network cited disagreements over financial conditions as the reason the TV giant wanted to sever ties. Food Network did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

When contacted for comment by Variety, Flay’s representatives at WME reportedly declined and cited a “policy of not commenting on active negotiations.” WME did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

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This change will mark a change in the history of the network. Flay has been a staple of Food Network programming since its debut in 1994, shortly after the food-centric channel launched in 1993. Over the next three decades, the chef has hosted more than one dozen of TV series, written 15 cookbooks and operated restaurants, including burger restaurants, steakhouses and breweries. Flay became the first chef to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and he has an estimated net worth of $ 60 million.

Before becoming famous, Flay dropped out of high school and, at the age of 20, became a chef, Insider previously reported.