Giada De Laurentiis Reveals Reason Behind Decision to Exit Food Network After 21 Years

Giada De Laurentiis

Giada De Laurentiis is opening up about her decision to leave the Food Network after starring on the cooking channel for two decades.

The celebrity chef, who was known for her long-running cooking show Giada at Home, announced that she was leaving the Food Network in February 2023, a decision she said "took a while" to make.

De Laurentiis, 53, addressed her exit from the network in a new interview for Rebecca Minkoff's Superwomen podcast, where the Italian-American chef admitted she had been "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?" she stated in the Monday, April 29 episode. "But I really started to become interested in the entrepreneurial sort of journey. And I realized I couldn't do both," she explained.

De Laurentiis finally decided to "make the jump" about two and half years ago, when she opted to put her energy into her lifestyle brand Giadzy.

But a deal with Amazon also makes it possible for De Laurentiis to still do "a little bit" of TV, but "definitely not the schedule" she used to keep while at the Food Network.

Minkoff made a point to ask her if she ever misses her old network, De Laurentiis candidly replied, "No."

"I know, I should say yes," she explained. "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," she continued, noting that she needs "excitement" in her life.

"And if I'm getting bored, my viewers are getting bored," she added.

Now, fans can still keep up De Laurentiis on Giadzy, where she offers everything from recipes, products, exclusive videos and travel stories.

Next: Valerie Bertinelli Has Pointed Message After Food Network Exit