It’s the end of an era. After 21 years on Food Network and several shows (Everyday Italian, Giada at Home, and Giada’s Weekend Getaways, to name a few), Emmy-winning TV host Giada De Laurentiis is leaving the popular cooking channel to pursue new projects. “Giada De Laurentiis is culinary royalty, someone who has taught audiences how to properly pronounce every cut of pasta imaginable for nearly two decades,” a spokesperson for Food Network told PEOPLE. “Food Network will always be proud of the beautiful content we have created together, and our table will always have an open seat for Giada.”
The news of the 52-year-old celebrity chef leaving Food Network comes one day after Deadline reported that she signed a multiple-year deal with Amazon Studios. Her role with Amazon will be to develop, executive produce, and even star in original unscripted programming, according to the outlet. Giada let the news out in a Feb. 9 Instagram post with a screenshot of Deadline‘s article. “Big week! Super excited for what’s to come!” she captioned the post. In a statement shared by Amazon Studios, she added, “I’m looking forward to this next chapter. I’ve been a fan of Amazon for a long time, and I’m excited for what we will accomplish together.”
“With her charismatic passion for food, and commitment to making extraordinary culinary experiences accessible to the home chef, Giada De Laurentiis has remained at the forefront of her industry for nearly two decades,” Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD Original content and programming, Amazon Studios, said in a statement. “We look forward to developing an exciting slate of projects with Giada, as she expands into new areas and we broaden our portfolio of cooking and lifestyle content.”
Giada got her start as a television personality and chef in 2002 when she was discovered by a network executive. The next year, her Emmy-winning series, Everyday Italian, debuted. As mentioned earlier, she blossomed into one of the entertainment world’s most beloved chefs as exemplified by her several television shows, her role as a mentor on the hit series Food Network Star, and handful of successful cookbooks (Everyday Italian, Giada’s Family Dinners, Everyday Pasta, Giada’s Kitchen, and more).
Her catering company, Giada Catering, launched in February and is run out of Southern California. She’s also the founder of the Italian-influenced lifestyle brand, Giadzy.com. Giada lives in Southern California with her daughter, Jade, and boyfriend, Shane Farley.
Fans of Giada at Home and Giada Entertains will be able to watch reruns of the show on Food Network and Discovery+.