The Food Network Star Is On The Path To Recovery
Days before this past Thanksgiving, Food Network star Guy Fieri, who will be celebrating his 58th birthday on January 22, suffered a serious injury while shooting an episode of his show Flavor Town Food Fight.
Speaking with Fox News Digital around that time, Guy described how he fell down a flight of stairs, saying that one of his feet got caught on the threshold of a door, putting him in a splits-like position.
“My right leg compressed into itself,” Fieri said, adding, “You normally tear that muscle at your tendon or the tendon tears off the bone, but this was right in the center of the whole quad muscle and it exploded.”
Required to use a wheelchair and stay off his feet for eight weeks, Guy added that this experience “sucked.”
On January 13, in an Entertainment Tonight interview conducted by Nischelle Turner, Guy provided an update on his recovery.
“I’m not kidding, it was a pretty trying time,” Guy admitted, describing the whole ordeal of not being able to walk around as feeling like “a mean prank.”
Now, his imminent recovery comes just in time for his annual Super Bowl event, Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate, which will feature a performance by country artist Tucker Wetmore.
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Guy Fieri Stayed Busy Amid His Recovery Process
Saying he “had to get through it,” Guy Fieri said he has begun physical therapy.
Speaking on the limitations he has been under in light of the delicate nature of his injury, he said, “Sitting there — not exercising, not hiking, not CrossFit, not any of that stuff — I was going nuts.”
While he acknowledged that the timing of his injury around the holiday season was more ideal than if it had been during a more consistently busy time of year for production on his shows, like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, it was still a challenge.
Regardless, he used his time of recovery working on recipes and spending time with his family.
“My kids rallied at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and did the majority of the cooking,” Guy said. “That was fun to watch. That was kind of like my own little present.”
Still, he and his Food Network crew still managed to shoot around his injury, and there was one particular event he was keen to be present for.
“We went out to North Carolina, to Asheville, you know they’d been hit with such devastation,” Guy said, referring to Hurricane Helene in 2024.
Expounding upon what going to North Carolina meant to him, he said:
“We went out there, shot a ‘Triple D’, ’cause we said we were going to. Last thing I wanted to do was disappoint these people. You know, you have all these folks that were just hit so hard, and we were planning to go out before they got hit with those floods, and so now we had a program set up to go and then I got injured, and I’m like, ‘No, I’m going.'”
Continuing, he imitated his doctor’s sarcasm, “‘You’re gonna fly across the country, on crutches, and go out and shoot a show? That’s a great idea, just go ahead and do that.'”
Despite his injury, he got through filming the show in North Carolina.
Further, he thanked his crew and his wife, Lori.
“[Being injured has] given me a lot of perspective, a lot to appreciate, and a couple more weeks and I’ll get to start full P.T. and then I’ll be back to me,” Guy said. “It really does give you an appreciation for being healthy and taking care of yourself … this was just a freak accident.”
Watch Guy Fieri’s full interview, including his Super Bowl predictions, here:
Country Artist Tucker Wetmore To Perform At Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate
Looking ahead, Guy hopes to be up on his feet “at full speed” by the Super Bowl, which will be on February 8.
The timing of that is important, as his annual Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate will be held that day in Cow Palace in Daly City, California.
Speaking on his annual Flavortown Tailgate, Guy described himself as an “all-American,” saying, “I love our country, I love our people, our community, and I love people that celebrate this amazing game of football.”
From that love for America and football, Guy said caring for those things led him to start his annual Flavortown Tailgate. The event has an emphasis on letting first responders, active duty military personnel, and veterans enjoy an event, while also offering something fun and free of charge for the community.
An estimate 10,000 people are expected to attend.
Headlining the event is country artist Tucker Wetmore, who is presently gearing up for his first world tour.
Watch the Western-inspired music video for Tucker Wetmore’s “Brunette,” which the singer stars in and co-directed, here:
For free tickets to Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate, and more information, visit the event’s website.