The Only Recap Of The Neelys Downfall You Need

In the 2000s and early 2010s, Food Network programmed a schedule packed with cooking instructional shows that brought viewers into the kitchens of different chefs and personalities, each an expert in his or her respective cuisine. Standing out from the rest were Pat and Gina Neely, whose Southern cooking series "Down Home with the Neelys" was one of the few Food Network shows hosted by a duo. And what a duo they were. The Neelys were long married, still very much in love, and not afraid to show it. Their chemistry was infectious, and their zest for food — and each other — was undeniable, making "Down Home with the Neelys" a quintessential Food Network series.

When the show unceremoniously disappeared around 2012, fans were shocked and confused. Why did the Neelys join the list of chefs who left Food Network behind? Because, behind the scenes, Pat and Gina Neely had secretly broken up. While their partnership was once a major presence in every sector of food culture, it dissipated, turning the Neelys into a couple of former Food Network stars you rarely hear about anymore. Here's what happened to Pat and Gina Neely — and how it all went wrong before our very eyes.

It may be hard to remember now, because the start of their successful run is almost two decades in the past, and because the subjects have since retreated from the spotlight, but the Neelys were once hugely famous. Pat and Gina Neely were a brand unto themselves at a time when food culture was increasingly celebrity-driven. The Neelys established themselves in everything from television to publishing to restaurants. Their names, images, and association with high-quality, homestyle Southern cuisine and barbecue generated a lot of attention, and a lot of money.

Following the success of Neely's Bar-B-Que in Tennessee, as well as the restaurant's popular catering division operated by Gina, the two were plucked to host a show on the Food Network, which became "Down Home with the Neelys." It ran for well over 100 episodes over the span of four years, and spawned a slew of merchandise. Neely-certified sauces, rubs, and barbecue aprons hit stores. The Neelys also published two cookbooks during the show's run, "Down Home with the Neelys: A Southern Family Cookbook" in 2009, and "The Neelys Celebration Cookbook: Down-Home Meals for Every Occasion" in 2011.

By 2011, Pat and Gina Neely were two of the most famous food people in the United States, what with several years of a popular Food Network show to their names, as well as a bestselling cookbook, and their original Nashville restaurant still running. They decided to capitalize on that success, and meet the perceived demand of the public, by opening a restaurant in the more competitive and high-end market of Manhattan. In July 2011, Neely's Barbecue Parlor finally opened its doors.

From the start, the Neelys weren't as hands-on as they could have been. Instead, they left much to their head chef, "Chopped" breakout star Wade Burch. Burch's ambitious menu featured multiple rib variants, fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, and Texas brisket, all served in a palatial, Southern-style dining room that was a far cry from hole-in-the-wall barbecue joints across the U.S.

There are many restaurants owned by Food Network celebrities worth a visit, but not the Neelys', apparently. Within a month of Neely's Barbecue Parlor opening, the New York restaurant rumor mill erupted, speculating that the space would soon close. The reviews were almost entirely negative, and the Neelys struggled to draw tourists to a restaurant situated 20 blocks from Times Square. After hanging on for four years, Neely's Barbecue Parlor shut down permanently in 2015.

In 1988, at the age of 23, Pat Neely opened the first Neely's Bar-B-Que restaurant. Within a decade, the business would grow to comprise five eateries in Nashville and New York City, and the flagship location would be named the best barbecue joint in Memphis, a major barbecue city. Another decade or so later, Pat would expand the empire with his wife, Gina, and the two would come to host a popular Food Network cooking show.

In 2012, right around the time that "Down Home with the Neelys" ended production, and Pat and Gina Neely had quietly split up, the pair announced that its remaining Neely's Bar-B-Que restaurants in Tennessee would temporarily shut down for reorganization and improvements. Less than a year later, and with two full-service restaurants and a concession stand at Memphis' FedEx Forum still not reopened, the Neelys said that all three would be closed for good. "We're gone so much and involved in so many projects that it's been really difficult to concentrate on the restaurants here like we need to," Gina Neely said to the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via GrubStreet).

With the exception of a single leftover episode that Food Network finally aired in January 2014, "Down Home with the Neelys" ended its 11-season, four-year run of more than 140 episodes in the spring of 2012. No cancellation announcement was made before, during, or after production on what would be the final installment of the cooking show hosted by the famously affectionate married couple. Its end was only confirmed — or assumed, rather — after the revelation that the Neelys themselves, as a couple, were finished.

In September 2014, Gina Neely filed for divorce from Pat Neely, her husband of two decades. In the legal paperwork obtained by various media outlets, it was noted that the Neelys had officially been estranged for two years, separated and living their lives apart, both personally and professionally. "Down Home with the Neelys" had ended production right around the time that its titular hosting couple had made the first steps toward eventually ending their marriage.

Even though they separated in 2012, the Neelys did not file divorce papers until 2014. They kept running their businesses without outwardly letting the public know that their marriage was winding down, but there may have been signs that the professional partnership was also running on borrowed time.

In April 2014, Pat and Gina Neely released a third cookbook that they wrote together, "Back Home with the Neelys." While promoting the book, the Neelys struck a noticeably bittersweet tone. In an interview with Reel Urban News, Gina Neely described how the first two cookbooks were about the meaning of family and celebration, respectively. The next, and final, project was about looking into the past in a nostalgic, melancholy way. "Writing a third cookbook was more of a tribute to how we got started in this industry — because we're not culinary chefs, we're basically just cooks at grandma's knee — in a loving, old-fashioned way," she said.

While the general population wasn't aware that Pat and Gina Neely had separated, and were headed for divorce, there were signs that the marriage (and working relationship) was in jeopardy. In 2013 and 2014, the once-inseparable Neelys began making more solo appearances, and taking on projects that required the participation of only one of them.

Gina Neely, unhappy with her weight, signed on for a sponsored challenge to drop 25 pounds in 12 weeks, as part of a campaign to promote the George Foreman Grill. Meanwhile, Pat Neely set up his own series of endorsement deals, selling exclusively through QVC a line of cooking tools bearing his name. He also became a national brand ambassador for Family Dollar, suggesting ways that Americans could eat cheaply by shopping at the discount store, while also appearing in marketing materials for Mrs. Paul's Frozen Fish, McDonald's, Boston Market, and Kraft Foods.

Two years after the final season of "Down Home with the Neelys" aired, Pat and Gina Neely delivered some stunning news: "Today we announce that we are ending our marriage of 20 years for irreconcilable differences. This was a tough decision, but we believe it is the best decision for us," the Neelys said in a joint statement delivered to the media, including Memphis TV station Action News 5. "Together we have built a strong brand as The Neelys. Moving forward our focus will be on our individual brands and we are optimistic about our respective futures."

That's all the Neelys would say about the divorce until, four years later, they each made the media rounds. "At the time, I was hurting. I was devastated. And I didn't have the words to explain it," Pat Neely told People in 2018. The legal proceedings to make the divorce final lasted only six hours. "She made a decision that she wasn't happy, and I respected that," Pat said of Gina Neely's filing for divorce.

"I remember leaving with my purse and my duffle bag, and I was out of there," Gina Neely told People in a separate interview. She added that, since the divorce, she hadn't spoken with her former spouse and business partner. "He's never reached out to me," she quipped. "I guess he's well?"

On their Food Network show "Down Home with the Neelys," and in countless other televised and live appearances, Pat and Gina Neely looked like a couple very much in love. They were famously affectionate, always kissing, hugging, and snuggling as they cooked. In hindsight, that was apparently something Gina played up for the cameras. Behind the scenes, it's since been revealed, she was consistently dissatisfied with her marriage.

A solid relationship often takes work, and the Neelys put in the effort. "We went to therapy 12 times," Gina Neely said on the series "Where Are They Now" (via People) in 2016, two years after the divorce proceedings began. "I tried to leave five times and I just didn't have the strength but the fifth time I held on to that. It became necessary for me to find my path."

Neely has been careful not to assign blame for the dissolution of her high-profile marriage. "Pat is not a bad guy, he's just not for me. I didn't want to divorce my husband but it became necessary to do it in order for me to be my best self."

About a decade after she made her Food Network debut, restaurateur Gina Neely admitted that she hadn't really wanted to become a TV food personality. The identity grew as an extension of her marriage to Pat Neely, who was passionate about preparing and serving barbecue and Southern food, but Gina didn't feel comfortable in it. Pat Neely worked by himself for about a decade before he persuaded his wife to join him in his business. "I never wanted to be a TV chef. I was a branch manager at a bank. I was going to divorce Pat prior to the show," Gina Neely told People in 2018. "And then all of a sudden the train jumped on the track and I had to hold on for my life."

Gina Neely remained in the marriage, and co-starred on Food Network's "Down Home with the Neelys" for four years, all the while enduring stage fright and anxiety. She also struggled with feelings of guilt over not being able to see her daughters while the show was in production. "I would cocoon myself," Neely said, describing how she would cry just before taping. The best thing about "Down Home with the Neelys," and what kept her committed to the show, was how she got to tell stories about her childhood and family on camera.

Following his split from Gina Neely, his wife of 20 years, and his partner in the Neelys barbecue empire, Pat Neely was despondent. "I thought that I would never get married again," he told People in 2018. But despite his heartbreak, Pat soldiered on as a solo food personality. In 2015, he took a job as the celebrity chef in residence on a cruise, and it was there that he met an anesthetist named Tamika Parks. By the end of 2016, Neely and Parks were engaged, and in October 2017, they got married. Neely became a father to Parks' son from another relationship and, in July 2018, Parks gave birth to the couple's first daughter.

In his professional life, Neely went on to work as a menu consultant for This Is It BBQ and Seafood, an Atlanta-based restaurant looking to expand. While the business franchised, Pat simultaneously tried his hand at making popular food videos on YouTube, launching two of his own cooking channels: Pat Neely BBQ King, and the now-shuttered Grillin' TV Network.

Despite her initial reluctance to pursue a life as a food-related television personality, Gina Neely made her way back onto the small screen a few years after her split with Pat Neely. From 2017 to 2018, she hosted "Chop it Up with Gina Neely," a program on the aspireTV cable network. "It's cooking and conversations," Neely told Memphis' Action News 5. "I love to cook, but you know I love to talk. I love to spill the tea, drink the tea, get the tea. I like all of that." For the same television station, Neely hosted a lifestyle program called "Bluff City Life," and also appeared in some cooking segments for "Good Morning America" and "The Dr. Oz Show."

Neely is also open to pursuing romance again, as evidenced by the fact that she was among the cast members of "To Rome with Love" on Bravo in 2018. On the reality show, relationship expert Diann Valentine led five single women who'd been previously burned by love to Rome to find potential mates. "I want to get married again. I love being married. I'm not against marriage and I'm not against love," Neely told People that year.