Employees Reveal The Truth About Working For Guy Fieri

Fans love TV food celebrity Guy Fieri so much they wanted to rename Columbus, Ohio "Flavortown," after one of the many catchphrases Fieri popularized on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Some people on Twitter were even backing Fieri in his run for president of the United States, after he tweeted in jest that he would throw his bandana in the ring. But Fieri is not feeling as much love from former employees. Hearing what some of them have said about him, we figure Fieri might scare off his campaign team.

"I don't think anyone actually liked him," said "Jane," a member of the team that once produced Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (via Chowhound). According to her, Fieri would ask the production team to get things done at all hours of the day or night. He wouldn't fly certain airlines, and the production schedule took a backseat to getting his hair done, "Jane" said. (How long does it take to rub gel into those spikes, anyway?)

"Jane" didn't use her real name because she signed a nondisclosure agreement after leaving Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. We don't know whether Fieri still retains hairdresser Ariel Ramirez, or whether Ramirez signed a similar agreement, but in any case we might never know the real reason Ramirez and Fieri got into a punching, kicking fight that spilled out of an SUV. Video of the scuffle (which, warning, contains explicit language), posted by TMZ, shows that Ramirez was so angry he was crying.

Blame Fieri's sense of humor, much of which had to be edited out because it tended toward potty jokes and sexual innuendo, producer David Page told City Pages. He claimed Fieri was so uncomfortable around gay men he asked that he be given advance warning before meeting them. City Pages also reported that Page accused Fieri of slinging a stereotype at him about his Jewish heritage. All told, some pretty ugly stuff supposedly came out of Fieri's mouth. The Food Network declined to comment on any of it. 

But Fieri has gotten some good press, too. The owners of the various diners, and drive-ins aren't actually Fieri's employees, but they worked with him. "Guy was great! He had the chef, our crew, and guests cracking up," Gavin Toth,  manager of the Improper Pig in Charlotte, North Carolina, told the Independent. Chad Cooley, owner of Momma's Mustard Pickles & BBQ in Louisville, Kentucky, agreed, although he didn't appreciate Fieri's attempted joke about barbecuing horse in the hometown of the Kentucky Derby.

Cooley forgave Fieri for his gaffe. "There are some mixed opinions on Guy Fieri, but you'll never hear a bad word from me," Cooley told the Independent. "All he does is go town to town, promoting small, locally owned businesses and leaving a wake of success behind him as he goes."