Real Reason Why Giada De Laurentiis Quit “Food Network” After 21 Years, Explained

Giada De Laurentiis is an Italian-American chef and entrepreneur, best known for hosting Giada at Home on Food Network. She has been a part of culinary shows and projects for the past two decades, sharing her unique insights into the world of spices, scents, and flavors. The chef is best known for writing books, hosting shows, and also embarking on numerous business ventures.

Laurentiis left Food Network back in February 2023 which left fans shocked as the television personality had been working with the channel for a long time. They have done numerous shows together with different themes and concepts. She recently opened up about her departure and cleared the air.

Why did Giada De Laurentiis leave Food Network?

No matter how much you love your job and fall in love with what you do, there comes a time when everything seems a bit repetitive and monotonous. The same perhaps happened with Giada De Laurentiis which made her exit Food Network. They had a splendid run with many shows set in Italy and some in America.

Laurentiis took a leap of faith as she made her decision and she is happier for it. She left her comfort zone to try something extraordinary and adventurous. The 54-year-old chef thought if not now then when and got off the ledge. She revealed on the Superwomen podcast,

It took a while for me to make this decision because I was very fearful of leaving Food Network. Because when you’re a big fish in that pond and then you get out, who knows what’s gonna happen next? But I really started to become interested in the entrepreneurial sort of journey. And I realized I couldn’t do both.

Laurentiis wanted to focus on other aspects of her career that, over time, became more attractive to her. Understandably, it must have been a tough decision for her to make. Moreover, she understood that it might have gotten boring for her viewers to see the same thing because she surely felt that way while doing the same thing in different formats. She added,

I think it’s because I got burnt out. I really worked so hard for so long. I got burnt out and I couldn’t see a path that was exciting anymore. I need excitement. I get bored. And if I’m getting bored, my viewers are getting bored.

Laurentiis made a strategic choice to exit the network and do something for herself while she maintained her relevance in the industry. Rather than fading into obscurity, she needs to recharge her image and present a new perspective to her fans.

Giada De Laurentiis had personal struggles to manage

Laurentiis had a lot on her plate, both personally and professionally. While she was keeping herself busy and diving into every facet of her work with keen interest, her personal life was not making it easy on her. She is a mother of one and has a marriage to take care of. However, she announced her separation and subsequent divorce from Todd Thompson in 2020.

This made it difficult for her to fully focus on work and manage multiple IPs for the network. She has been at the helm and hosted a myriad of shows over the years including Giada’s Weekend Getaways, Giada at Home, Giada Entertains, Giada’s Holiday Handbook, and Giada in Italy.

Since her exit, Laurentiis has been enjoying some much-needed family time with her daughter Jade and her boyfriend Shane Farley. They are traveling to new places and exploring the world just as Laurentiis always wanted. Farley is a celebrity chef and producer. He met Laurentiis back in 2013 but started dating only a couple of years after that. Laurentiis and Farley have been together ever since, strong as ever in love.

What’s Next for Giada De Laurentiis?

As she previously mentioned, Laurentiis wishes to focus on the entrepreneurial side of her career henceforth and make a name for herself as a businesswoman. Giadzy is her lifestyle brand where she is pivoting her attention and effort. She clarified that she will still do TV as she has signed a deal with Amazon, the details of which remain under wraps.

She further said on the podcast appearance,

So about two and a half years ago, I finally was like, ‘OK, I’m gonna make the jump, and I’m gonna put my energy in Giadzy. I’ll still do TV. I have a deal with Amazon, so I still do a little bit of that, but it’s definitely not the schedule I used to keep. Definitely not.

After so many decades in the industry, Laurentiis seemingly wants to work on her own time now. She has made a name for herself as a reputed personality in the culinary world, having educated the masses on pasta and its types. Her cookbooks have also been huge successes with people trusting her advice and methods in cooking.