Celebrity Chefs Who Are Jerks Behind The Scenes

Chefs used to labor in obscurity, hidden by the swinging doors leading to the back of the house. However, a revolution, fueled in part by some of the chefs profiled in this collection, ushered in a celebrity era. Suddenly, chefs enjoyed a level of fame that rivaled rock stars and a fanbase that included people who had never actually dined in their restaurants. In addition to culinary skills, being a celebrity chef required a TV persona that attracted fans. While most chefs prefer to play likable characters on television, some of them are, to put it bluntly, jerks behind the scenes.

The chefs featured here have skeletons that snuck out of the closet over the years, leaving fans disappointed in their wake. Some were accused of condescending or egotistical behavior, while others have allegedly engaged in slightly more malicious activity. Let's go behind the scenes and see what scandals these chefs cooked up while the cameras weren't watching.

Nusret Gökçe, aka Salt Bae, got his start in the food industry as a butcher's apprentice when he was 11 years old. He opened his first restaurant in 2010 and, fueled by viral fame, has grown that into a restaurant empire spanning the likes of Dubai, London, Miami, and Milan, all while amassing a net worth reported to sit at around $70 million. His online presence propelled him to fame, but there is plenty of evidence that he is less likable IRL.

As a former manager told Business Insider, "His world was nothing but Instagram and fame. ... He ended up getting this godlike complex." That's far from the only complaint about the Turkish chef. Other allegations have included tip skimming at Nusr-Et Miami (a lawsuit was filed, but a judge decided in the restaurant's favor), an aggressive style of leadership, and dismissing workers on a whim. One former bartender compared working for Gökçe to "The Hunger Games" and claimed you never knew if you would potentially be fired.

Salt Bae even creates trouble outside the kitchen. He was the subject of a FIFA investigation after the 2022 World Cup final when he, among others, gained unauthorized access to the pitch and was filmed kissing the trophy and trying to grab legendary footballer Lionel Messi. In 2024, he also sparked controversy after posting the receipt for a $108,000 dinner at his restaurant on Instagram, captioned: "Money comes, money goes." Many people considered it a distasteful example of excess from a chef who serves gold-crusted steak.

Mike Isabella's meteoric rise from "Top Chef" contestant to one of the hottest chefs in America was followed by an equally dramatic collapse. His empire crumbled around him in 2018 amid allegations of sexual harassment and toxic behavior. He's retreated from the public eye since then and avoided public incidents of bad behavior, but a 2024 court ruling (finally) turned the page on this unfortunate chapter of celebrity chefdom.

Isabella had a bad boy reputation after his appearances on "Top Chef" and "Top Chef: All-Stars," but his brash personality made him a recognizable face, and his D.C.-based restaurant group grew at a rapid rate. The crown jewel of the empire was Isabella Eatery, nine individual concepts spread across 41,000 square feet in the Tysons Galleria mall. However, this closed just nine months after its debut amid a controversial time for Isabella.

The accusations against Isabella demonstrated a long pattern of toxic behavior, including an intoxicated Isabella suggesting that one of the chefs have sex with a female manager, Chloe Caras. He followed that by screaming slurs at said manager before telling her she was fired. Investors went cold as reports of Isabella's behavior became more public. Employees' paychecks bounced, and Isabella faced multiple lawsuits, including one filed by Caras against both Isabella and his business partners for sexual harassment. In 2024, a judge ruled in favor of former employees in a case over unpaid wages and ordered Isabella to pay $88,347.64.

Mario Batali could be the poster child for chefs whose reputations underwent a dramatic change. In 2017, Batali was accused of sexual harassment and sexual assault. More women later came forward, and Batali issued a statement in which he said, "My past behavior has been deeply inappropriate and I am sincerely remorseful for my actions" (via ABC News).

Batali not only stepped back from his restaurants and TV shows in the wake of this controversy, but also faced criminal charges. In a 2022 trial, a judge found Batali not guilty of indecent assault and battery. A year earlier, however, Batali, his business partner, and their former company were ordered to pay $600,000 to former employees amid claims that they'd faced sexual harassment and discrimination.

Being a poster child for inappropriate behavior is typically bad for your public image, and Mario Batali retreated from the public eye following the accusations and settled the multiple civil suits quietly. However, life moved on at his restaurants, including his beloved Babbo. It hasn't quite regained its prominent position following Batali's fall from grace, but it was bought by new owners in early 2025 (alongside another eatery, Lupa) with hopes to reinvent the restaurant. Helming the kitchen is Mark Ladner, who worked on the opening team for both restaurants.

Darnell Ferguson was once a Food Network star, having appeared on multiple shows — including three seasons of Guy Fieri's "Tournament of Champions" — before becoming host of "Superchef Grudge Match." The chef was riding high when a 2024 arrest report revealed a more alarming side to his character. Ferguson was arrested on multiple charges, including felony burglary and strangulation.

It was alleged that Ferguson had entered the home of a woman without permission, later revealed to be his wife. During the ensuing altercation, he was accused of punching holes in the wall, strangling the woman, and threatening to kill her. His wife later recanted her initial statement and stood by Ferguson while he pleaded guilty to lesser charges. However, Food Network didn't stand by its controversial star (who was ordered to pay a $250 fine), and he was replaced on "Superchef Grudge Match." With his TV career on hiatus, Ferguson is focused on his own business, hosting a pop-up in September 2025 to revive his SuperChef brand after the restaurant closed in 2022.

Compared to some of the other chefs on this list, Guy Fieri, the "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" host, is a saint. But that's a low bar, and even Fieri acknowledged on the "Bad Friends" podcast that he may rub some people the wrong way. "First and foremost," he said, "if you don't have beef in your world ... you're not really paying attention."

In 2025, Fieri faced a new storm of controversy when his company was sued by the winner of his Food Network game show, "Guy's Chance of a Lifetime." The winner, Kevin Cooper, claimed the prize wasn't all it was cooked up to be. The prize was an all-expense-paid franchise of Guy Fieri's Chicken Guy! chain, including a first-year salary. However, Cooper alleged that he was not paid the promised salary and that Fieri's company failed to cover over $68,000 of expenses.  

In another divisive move, Fieri has a firm position that his children must obtain two degrees to obtain any inheritance. "I told them: 'You've got to go do this. You've got to go stake your claim and go figure out what you're going to do,'" he explained in an interview with Business Insider. While some think it is an effective way to teach responsibility, his youngest son isn't necessarily on board with the idea. Ryder Fieri, who studies at San Diego State University, apparently tried to negotiate his way out of the deal, but Fieri held firm.

Gino D'Acampo is an Italian chef who started his television career in the 2000s. He established himself as a mainstay on British television and, in addition to his screen appearances, authored numerous cookbooks and founded a chain of restaurants. His affable on-camera persona made him a star, but in early 2025, an investigation found that multiple former co-workers had leveled accusations of inappropriate behavior against the chef.

The allegations include instances of making sexually inappropriate comments and intimidating behavior. Several accusers detailed his behavior to ITV News. "I think he feels he's in a position of power and he can say and do what he wants," one said. "I see it all as quite aggressive." Although D'Acampo denied the allegations, ITV pulled his shows, and his remaining restaurants are reportedly facing financial struggles.

Jamie Oliver has been playing a nice guy on TV since 1999, when he launched his television career with "The Naked Chef." However, Mr. Nice Guy has ruffled plenty of feathers with unsavory behavior, including slaughtering a lamb on television, demonstrating a condescending attitude towards other people's diets, and costing people their jobs with misleading statements about pink slime.

That's already an impressive list of controversies, but Oliver can't help but add to it. In 2018, he was accused of cultural appropriation when he marketed a prepackaged rice as jerk rice, despite the fact that jerk is actually a Jamaican cooking method for meat. That drew a rebuke from Dawn Butler, an MP of Jamaican descent, who wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, "Your jerk rice is not OK. This appropriation from Jamaica needs to stop."

Andi Oliver, a British chef with Antiguan heritage, was still chafed by the incident several years later when she explained that it wasn't about him not being Caribbean, but the fact that he showed a fundamental misunderstanding of jerk and its history. "You can't jerk rice," she concluded on the "Where's Home Really?" podcast (via Daily Mail). "It's not a thing you can do because it's not a seasoning." Jamie Oliver later admitted in an appearance on "The Louis Theroux Podcast" that he didn't understand the true meaning of jerk and that his books are now vetted for cultural appropriation, which he claimed "pains" him.

There is more controversy surrounding Bobby Flay than just the way he prefers his hamburger. He's been recognized as a bad boy of cooking since he stomped his way into the spotlight on "Iron Chef America." We aren't here to talk about his messy divorce, losing a Michelin star, or being sued by former employees. Let's catch up with what the chef has been up to in recent years.

Bobby Flay has multiple restaurants and an estimated net worth of $60 million, but that didn't stop him from asking the public to pay his employees for him. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced restaurant shutdowns, he set up a GoFundMe, soliciting donations to pay his employees. Many people felt that it was a crass move for someone with Bobby Flay's resources to ask others for money. Flay allegedly also blocked those who criticized the move on social media.

More money-related drama struck in 2021. After 27 years with the Food Network, it was reported that Flay would part ways over a contract dispute. In what could be perceived as a demonstration of ego, he reportedly sought a $100 million contract that exceeded Guy Fieri's to become Food Network's highest-paid star. He ended up staying with the network, and although details of the contract were not made public, it's fair to guess that the payday was high enough that he should be able to pay his bills without asking for help.

Rachael Ray's rapid rise from obscurity to a global personality is legendary. She was working as a buyer at a gourmet market when a local TV station offered her a segment and helped her publish her first cookbook. Her TV personality was a hit with the public, and she taught a generation how to cook with handy tips like what to do with leftover jarred salsa, but there have been rumors that she is not as friendly when the cameras are off.

The internet is full of critics who repeat stories of negative encounters with her. "She was one of the most unpleasant people I have ever had the misfortune of interacting with," one Reddit user said. Whether those stories are true or just the sputtering of internet trolls is hard to say. However, a more concrete example of poor behavior came when it was reported that more than 20 employees on her show were let go without pay after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the studio. When recording shifted to her home, the camera crews and technicians were cut during the uncertain times. Ray responded to reports via social media, claiming that they weren't entirely accurate.

New Orleans chef John Besh burst onto the scene in the 1990s and spent the following years collecting accolades and building fame. In 2006, he won a James Beard Award for Best Chef of the Southeast. His cooking prowess earned him regular television appearances and made him one of the most recognizable chefs in the country.

However, a 2017 investigation revealed shocking allegations of sexual harassment at his company, Besh Restaurant Group, by 25 former or current employees. The allegations claimed that Besh and his co-owners had enabled a culture of inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment. One woman also made a direct allegation that Besh had engaged her in an unwelcome sexual relationship.

Besh stepped away from his company amid a storm of controversy — or so it seemed. In 2024, it was reported that John Besh was returning with a new restaurant, but a closer examination revealed he wasn't returning because he never actually left. While Besh publicly apologized for his actions and relinquished the CEO title, he remained involved in the business and continued to profit from the restaurants.

Most people try to seem warm and personable on TV, regardless of how horrible they are off-camera. That's not Gordon Ramsay's style. Nobody accuses the successful restaurateur of being too warm and cuddly on television. In fact, by most accounts, he amps his grumpy personality up when he is on TV, where he plays a much more bombastic version of himself. But that doesn't mean he's actually a ray of sunshine. In 2024, several former contestants revealed what it was like to appear on his shows.

The gentlest way to describe Gordon Ramsay's demeanor is hard-nosed. Michael Wray, who won Season 1 of "Hell's Kitchen," told PEOPLE that one of the lessons Ramsay taught him was, "You never tell your employees that they're doing a good job. The instant you tell them that is when they stop trying." Other contestants described a culture of fear around the show, even if others pushed back on the assertion. Season 15 winner Ariel Malone was one of those pushing back, but she didn't deny the aggressive behavior. "When you're in karate class, is your [sensei] a bully or is he your teacher?" she asked. While his intentions might be good, his blunt and abrasive style has certainly earned Ramsay a strong reputation.

Talking about celebrity chefs with infamous personalities and not mentioning Marco Pierre White is like talking about rock stars and neglecting to mention The Beatles. White was the original celebrity chef — and the original enfant terrible. He was well-known for explosive outbursts and is reported to have even left Gordon Ramsay in tears following one of his tirades. In fact, two of the chefs on this list, Gordon Ramsay and Mario Batali, trained under Marco Pierre White. Perhaps that is a testament to the culture he spawned as well as his extraordinary talent.

During his remarkable career, Marco Pierre White became the youngest chef (at the time) to receive three Michelin stars. But, at the height of his career, he returned his stars and walked out of the kitchen. He explained why he walked away in an interview with the Gentleman's Journal in 2025. "So why did I give my stars back, why did I walk away?" he asked. "No disrespect to any of them. But I was being judged by people who had less knowledge."

He retired from the kitchen but not the culinary world. He opened multiple restaurants that use his recipes but not his cooking and became a TV personality. "I can contribute to the world of gastronomy in a greater way now than when I was in the kitchen,” he says on his website. "I can inspire people by doing TV. I can inspire mothers to go and buy better produce and learn to cook and give their children better food."