Guy Fieri has made a statement after seemingly engaging in a friendly embrace with controversial figures Andrew and Tristan Tate.
On Saturday (April 11), footage from UFC 327 in Miami started doing the rounds that showed the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives host shaking hands with the Tate brothers, and pulling Andrew in for a shoulder bump and a brief chat.
However, after facing a lot of backlash for his interaction with the "manosphere" influencers, who have built a platform centered around toxic masculinity and sexism, Fieri took to X on Tuesday (April 14) to share his side of the story.
"I'm seeing all of your comments about the photo from Saturday's UFC event and all I can say is that I'm devastated," Fieri began his post. "I was there to see the fights and when I was walking through the venue, the Tate brothers stood up and said hello and that's when the exchange happened. I did not know them or about them before that moment."
Fieri wrapped up his post by making it clear that he's not associated with the Tate brothers in any fashion. "I'll never pretend to be a perfect person, but let me be crystal clear, I do not know the Tate brothers nor do I support them in any way," he wrote.
The Tate brothers are currently facing a total of 21 criminal charges, including rape and human trafficking, stemming from being arrested in connection with forming an organized crime ring in Romania in 2022.
They were officially charged in 2023, with Andrew being indicted on rape, human trafficking, and forming a criminal group to sexually exploit women, while Tristan ended up being charged with human trafficking, forming a criminal group, and inciting others to violence.
Both Andrew and Tristan have denied all of the allegations through their attorney.
After being arrested in 2024 in Romania on a UK warrant for sexual aggression charges that stemmed from 2012 to 2015, the two are in the midst of an ongoing defamation lawsuit.
