Start saying arrivederci to Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network viewers: The TV chef is leaving the channel after 20 years.
“Giada De Laurentiis is culinary royalty, someone who has taught audiences how to properly pronounce every cut of pasta imaginable for nearly two decades,” a Food Network spokesperson told TODAY.com in a statement. “Food Network will always be proud of the beautiful content we have created together, and our table will always have an open seat for Giada.”
The news of De Laurentiis’ Food Network exit came a day after Deadline reported that the 52-year-old has signed an overall unscripted series production deal with Amazon Studios. With that multi-year deal, De Laurentiis with develop, executive-produce, and potential star in projects for Amazon Studios.
“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, said in a statement to 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.”
“I’m looking forward to this next chapter,” De Laurentiis added in a statement. “I’ve been a fan of Amazon for a long time, and I’m excited for what we will accomplish together.”
During her Food Network tenure, the Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef won two Daytime Emmy Awards, one for her show Everyday Italian in 2008 and one for Giada Entertains in 2016. Her other shows for the channel including Giada in Italy, Giada’s Holiday Handbook, and Giada’s Weekend Getaways.
According to People, reruns of De Laurentiis’ shows — including Giada at Home and Giada Entertains— will continue to run on Food Network and discovery+.
