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Something is rotten in Flavortown.
Some, however, say that the warning signs were there all along.
On Saturday, UFC 327 in Miami had many infamous attendees. Guy Fieri, the self-styled Mayor of Flavortown, was also present.
Why did he fist-bump accused human trafficker and self-styled misogynist Andrew Tate?
Why is he smiling and fist-bumping Andrew Tate?
In an ideal world, no occupant of the Oval Office would attend a UFC event. One could argue that, in a truly ideal world, no such events would take place.
But Donald Trump attended, to notably subdued reactions from the audience. And he was not the only infamous figure in the audience.
Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate are under investigation in multiple countries for, among other things, human trafficking and rape.
(They were only allowed into the US when Trump retook power.)
Those who have been fans of Guy Fieri and his easy-going, charitable reputation are appalled at his reaction to seeing one of the planet’s most infamous dirtbags in person.
Guy Fieri cozying up to the Andrew Tate.
Bye Food Network until this is addressed. And buy Guy Fieri forever.
Hanging with a rapist is a hard no.
#Pinks
#GuyFieri
#AndrewTateRapist— 💙🏳️🌈 Goldie (aka Kh’ymm) 🏳️🌈💙 (@thegoldfishmind.bsky.social) April 13, 2026 at 10:48 AM
At the event on Saturday, April 11, Fieri appeared to offer a friendly greeting to Tate.
The two men exchanged a fist-bump.
To be clear, even independent of his alleged crimes, Tate is a blight upon humanity.
He has openly and accurately described himself as a “misogynist.” And his pernicious influence has helped to twist other men and even boys into scummy reflects of who and what he has chosen to be.
There are now plenty of calls to boycott Food Network, on which Fieri is heavily featured. And a lot of people simply feel heartbroken.
Why are people taking this news so hard?
For background, Guy Fieri was once a punchline. His deliberately over-the-top appearance is, well, a lot.
However, he has impressed people by boosting struggling restaurants and restaurant workers. He has also shown up to disaster zones to feed people.
All of this has given him a generally positive reputation, going back years. Some have even apologized for treating him like a joke.
Basically, people have viewed Fieri as a good person due to his treatment of the restaurant industry and its employees.
Seeing him fistbump a monster — let alone a monster accused of heinous crimes — is jarring.
However, some on social media have pointed out that this should not really be a surprise.
Fieri does not actually have a spotless record. But his good works — and his larger-than-life presentation — have distracted from the truth.
Salon did a great and thorough write-up on Fieri back in the summer of 2023, when Fieri was among those called out for “normalizing” disgraced then-ex-president Donald Trump.
Fieri has been accused of homophobia by someone who used to work with him. And he’s rubbed elbows with the likes of Trump, sat down for a Joe Rogan interview, and generally associated with the seedy underbelly of society before.
With all of that in mind, is seeing him fistbump Andrew Tate a surprise? No. It’s shocking because it’s awful, but it’s not a surprise. It’s consistent with who he has chosen to be.
Hi, I’m Guy Fieri, and we’re rolling out looking for America’s greatest rapists, con artists, and pedophiles.”
— ladyggkittynumnums.bsky.social (@ladyggkittynumnums.bsky.social) April 13, 2026 at 12:13 PM
This isn’t guilt-by-association
We’ve always been careful to avoid falling into guilt-by-association. But that doesn’t mean that Fieri is blameless.
Fieri’s friendly fist-bump with Tate doesn’t mean that he is a misogynist or a human trafficker. Similarly, him being so chummy with Trump doesn’t mean that he organized an attack against Congress or tanked the economy or committed heinous crimes with Epstein.
But that he chooses to associate with the worst that humanity has to offer is pretty damning.
It speaks to his judgment. It speaks to his character. And it speaks to his values.
Something is rotten in Flavortown.
