Giada De Laurentiis Is Leaving The Food Network After 20+ Years
One of the original Food Network stars, Giada De Laurentiis is officially leaving the network after more than two decades (via Deadline).
De Laurentiis joined the Food Network in 2002 after a network executive read a profile of her family published in Food & Wine magazine. Though she had gone to culinary school (after obtaining a degree in anthropology), De Laurentiis never expected to build a career in the food industry, explaining to Food & Wine in 2016, "I really thought I'd become a food stylist and then went in a completely different direction."
During her tenure at the Food Network, she hosted a number of cooking shows, including "Giada at Home" and "Simply Giada." She also co-hosted and made appearances on reality programs like "Next Food Network Star" with chef Bobby Flay, who De Laurentiis considers a close friend. The pair went on to create "Bobby and Giada in Italy," a travel show where they toured the European country — where De Laurentiis spent much of her childhood — together.
But this departure doesn't mean the end of De Laurentiis' television career; The chef shared some of her plans for the future, including a new partnership.
De Laurentiis partners with Amazon Studios for new series
According to Deadline, the celebrity chef, TV host, and author recently signed a multi-year deal with Amazon Studios and is planning to produce a yet-to-be-named unscripted series.
"With her charismatic passion for food, and commitment to making extraordinary culinary experiences accessible to the home chef, Giada De Laurentiis has remained at the forefront of her industry for nearly two decades," Lauren Anderson, Amazon Studios' head of AVOD Original content and programming told Deadline. "We look forward to developing an exciting slate of projects with Giada, as she expands into new areas and we broaden our portfolio of cooking and lifestyle content."
De Laurentiis shared the news of her new venture via Instagram, posting "Big week! Super excited for what's to come!" De Laurentiis expanded on this announcement in a statement given to Deadline: "I'm looking forward to this next chapter. I've been a fan of Amazon for a long time, and I'm excited for what we will accomplish together."
Responding to the news, a Food Network spokesperson told People the network "will always be proud of the beautiful content we have created together, and our table will always have an open seat for Giada."