It sounds like celebrity chef Guy Fieri is joining the ranks of celebrity parents who don't plan to hand over the fortunes they'll leave behind to their children. In a new interview, the Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives star said he plans to "die broke" rather than allow his sons to inherit the money he earned from his culinary empire. Instead, it sounds like he plans to encourage them to create their own empires they can depend on for their livelihoods. And according to Guy, that all starts with a solid education.
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Guy opened up about his plans in a new interview.
While talking to Fox News, the 55-year-old reality star revealed that he has no plans to sign his bank account over to his sons when he dies. In fact, he told them he actually is going to "die broke," thanks to something his own father once said to him that really resonated.
"I’ve told them the same thing my dad told me. My dad says, 'When I die, you can expect that I’m going to die broke, and you’re going to be paying for the funeral.' And I told my boys, 'None of this that we’ve been … that I’ve been building are you going to get unless you come and take it from me,'" he said.
Another famous public figure also inspired his decision.
"Shaq said at best. Shaq said, 'If you want this cheese, you got to get to two degrees.' Well, my two degrees mean, you know, postgraduate," he said.
Guy is quoting something that former basketball star Shaquille O'Neal said during an appearance on Good Morning America in 2019, when he shared the response he gave to one of his five children who asked him to buy him a Mercedes-Benz: "Son, I’m rich. We’re not rich."
One of his sons isn't very impressed with Guy's plan.
Guy is dad to two sons, 27-year-old Hunter and 17-year-old Ryder. Unfortunately, his youngest isn't on board with this plan.
"'Dad, this is so unfair. I haven’t even gone to college yet, and you’re already pushing that I’ve got to get an MBA? Can I just get through college?'" he said.
Guy's also helped raise his 22-year-old nephew, Jules, after Guy's sister died in 2011, and so far, he's had a better reaction.
"Jules is in the music industry down in LA. He's in the law program at Loyola Marymount right now. If you're going to be a big-time entertainment agent, you need to have that law background. So he’s doing that," he said.
Guy is hardly the only famous parent who is taking this approach.
Plenty of other celebrity parents have refused to leave their riches to their children when they go, from Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher to Elton John and more.
Like Guy, many of these celebrities are hoping their children will build something on their own that they can be proud of.
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Guy's kids seem to be doing fine for themselves.
Recently, Guy celebrated oldest son Hunter's engagement by sharing his congratulations in a post on Instagram featuring the happy couple. He wrote, "You two are made for each other. Welcome to the family, Tara."
Here's hoping that Guy's encouragement is enough to help his sons make successes of themselves — they won't have that sweet Flavortown cash to fall back on!
