Guy Fieri’s trademark energy isn’t going anywhere—but his mobility is temporarily on pause.
The Food Network star revealed that a serious on-set accident while filming Flavor Town Food Fight has left him unable to walk and recovering in a wheelchair as his leg heals.
The injury occurred earlier this month during production when Fieri took a hard fall down a set of stairs. What followed was not a routine muscle strain. According to the celebrity chef, the impact caused an extremely rare tear straight through the center of the quadriceps muscle in his right leg—an injury that required immediate surgical intervention.
“It wasn’t the tendon or where it connects to the bone,” Fieri told Fox News. “This was right through the middle of the quad. It just blew apart.”
Doctors performed emergency surgery and instructed Fieri to keep completely off his leg for roughly 8 weeks. Walking, standing, or putting any weight on the injury is currently off-limits, making the wheelchair part of his day-to-day reality for the foreseeable future.
The accident has also reshuffled plans at home, particularly with the holiday season underway. Fieri won’t be leading Thanksgiving dinner this year, though he hasn’t fully stepped away from the action. Instead, he’s overseeing the meal while his sons, Hunter and Ryder, along with his nephew Jules, take charge of the cooking.
“They know what they’re doing,” Fieri said, adding that he’ll be directing traffic while they cook for a large group of family and friends. “I’ll be calling the shots.”
The fall itself happened in a split second. Fieri explained that one foot slipped forward while the other caught on the stair threshold, pulling his legs in opposite directions and putting enormous strain on the muscle. Doctors later told him the injury was highly unusual, particularly because it occurred in the thickest part of the quad.
For now, Fieri is recovering at his ranch in Santa Rosa, California, focusing on rest and preparing for what he knows will be a demanding rehabilitation process. He expects physical therapy to play a major role once he’s cleared to start moving again.
“I know it’s going to take time,” he said. “But once rehab starts, I’m ready to push.”
For now, Flavortown is still open—just run from a wheelchair.