Guy Fieri's Flavortown Fortune Isn't Going To His Kids

Celebrity chef and mayor of Flavortown Guy Fieri wants the world to know that he isn't raising any nepo babies! In a recent interview with Fox News, the "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" star explained that if his sons eventually want a piece of his $70 million fortune, they're going to have to work for it. 

"I've told them the same thing my dad told me. My dad says, 'When I die, you can expect that I'm going to die broke, and you're going to be paying for the funeral,'" Fieri told the news outlet in a very fatherly tone. "And I told my boys, none of this ... that I've been building are you going to get unless you come and take it from me."

No stranger to hard work, Fieri started his career in the restaurant industry at the ripe age of 10 years old and, over time, managed to turn his love of food into a multi-million dollar empire. Fieri hopes to instill that same work ethic in his two sons, Hunter, 27, and Ryder, 17, as well as a nephew Jules, 22, whom he and his wife have raised since the death of Fieri's sister in 2011. The quirky chef even cited former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal who, in a 2022 interview, insisted that his kids seek higher education with a memorable catchphrase: "In order to get my cheese, you have to present me with two degrees."

The proud papa went on to brag about his kids a little, telling Fox News that his nephew Jules is currently studying law at Loyola Marymount University as he works toward a career in the music industry. Meanwhile, Ryder, Guy Fieri's youngest son, is preparing to graduate from high school in the spring and is already feeling the pressure of his father's high expectations. "He's like, 'Dad this is so unfair. I haven't even gone to college yet, and you're already pushing that I've got to get an MBA? Can I just get through college?'" Fieri relayed with a smirk.

Already well on his way to following in his famous father's footsteps, Fieri's oldest son Hunter graduated from his dad's alma mater, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with a degree in hospitality and restaurant management. He has since pursued a career in entertainment, appearing alongside his dad on several Food Network shows. Hunter has expressed gratitude for their dad's insistence on their financial independence.

"He's a great teacher and a great father and leads by example," Hunter told People. "He does the right things to train you for the real world. And teaches you discipline and hard work and to not give up, and that not everyone's going to hold your hand through life."