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You cannot be nice to everyone. Not everyone deserves it.
As we previously reported, Guy Fieri’s friendly fistbump with Andrew Tate received a lot of righteous backlash.
Some even pointed out that the Mayor of Flavortown has been seen rubbing elbows with other evil men.
Fieri is speaking out, admitting that he’s “devastated.” He promises that he can explain.
‘I was there to see the fights’
On Tuesday, April 14, Fieri tweeted a statement responding to the intense backlash.
“I’m seeing all of your comments about the photo from Saturday’s UFC event,” he began.
“And,” Fieri expressed, “ll I can say is that I’m devastated.”
He explained: “I was there to see the fights.”
His explanation continued: “And when I was walking through the venue, the Tate brothers stood up and said hello and that’s when the exchanged happened.”
Anyone could, in theory, be subjected to a friendly greeting from infamous men who are, among other things, accused of rape and human trafficking.
So why did Fieri respond to them with a fistbump instead of something more hostile, more righteous?
“I did not know them or about them before that moment,” Fieri claimed.
“I’ll never pretend to be a perfect person,” he added.
“But let me be crystal clear,” Fieri declared, “I do not know the Tate brothers nor do I support them in any way.”
I always make this face when I totally don’t know who someone is, who is also under investigation for raping women. pic.twitter.com/KcE0ysAM9F
— Cork Off! (@CorkYou) April 14, 2026
The criminal cases against the Tate brothers are not new or a secret
Both Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, are facing a slew of allegations.
They’re under investigation for 21 offenses in the UK alone. There are also cases against them in Romania and the United States.
Even without the allegations, the brothers are very publicly disgraceful.
Andrew in particular is notoriously part of the “manosphere,” a toxic online community of the worst influencers alive, promoting misogyny, toxic masculinity, and unrealistic images of success.
Even if they were not accused of rape and human trafficking, Fieri greeting them so warmly would have been a scandal.
And what about this PDF file? pic.twitter.com/ojzf1D6XKD
— The Chicago Pope (@TheChicagoPope) April 15, 2026
As you can see from the small sample of replies that we have included, even denizens of what was once Twitter aren’t buying Fieri’s claims.
Many challenged the idea that he’d so warmly greet men whom he believed to be total strangers.
Others pointed out that, for years, Fieri has made poor choices when it comes to his interactions.
As far back as 2023, he was called out and condemned for normalizing Donald Trump, who at the time was already threatening to retake power.
(Salon did a great piece on Fieri at the time, and it’s worth a read.)
Could he be telling the truth about not knowing?
Real talk: it is entirely possible that Fieri has no idea who Andrew and Tristan Tate are.
(Can you imagine? We like to be aware of the threats that exist out there, but we’re also deeply envious on some levels.)
Fieri was born in the 1960s. In fact, he’ll be 60 in a couple of years. He might not know two influencers who primarily target teenage boys with their sinister grift.
However, this again goes to the problem of Fieri’s lack of overall judgment. The same thing that’s gotten him into trouble for associating with other scumbags, like Trump.
Simply put, we get wanting to be seen as the friendly guy who’s nice to everyone. But if you’re open and friendly to everyone, you will drive some people away. Some people — like the Tate brothers — are undeserving of human kindness.
