Entertainment

Guy Fieri Becomes One Of Cable TV’s Highest Paid Hosts After Signing 3-Year Deal

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Katie Jerkovich Entertainment Reporter
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Guy Fieri has officially become one of cable TV’s highest paid hosts after signing a deal with Food Network for a three-year extension for $80 million.

The 53-year-old host of popular shows such as “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” and “Guy’s Grocery Games” signed a new contract with the network, giving him a $50 million raise from his prior agreement, Forbes reported in a recent article. The post was noted by Barstool Sports in a piece published Tuesday. (RELATED: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Named Highest Paid Actor Of 2019)

That’s nearly $30 million a year for hosting two cooking shows on the network. (RELATED: REPORT: Gordon Ramsay Donated $50,000 To ‘MasterChef Junior’ Ben Watkins’ Medical Costs When 14-Year-Old Had Cancer)

Fieri’s longest running show on the Food Network, “Diners, Drive Ins and Dives” or “Triple D” as fans of the show know it, has been on the air since 2006. Last year alone, the show generated $230 million in ad revenue, according to data analytics firm Kantar.

“I got a chance of a lifetime,” Fieri recently told the Hollywood Reporter. “I think I played it good.”

To put that contract into further context, when chef Emeril Lagasse was all over the network in the early 2000’s he was paid $8 million a year.

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay earned about $20 million in a year from his Fox cooking shows like “Masterchef,” according to its 2020 estimates, the outlet also reported.

Guy landed on the network as a host after winning the second season of “Next Food Network Star” in 2006. But he didn’t start at the top right a way. For his six-episode series, “Guy’s Big Bite,” he earned less than $1,000 an episode.