Guy Fieri has built both an empire and a fortune in his several decades in the food and television industry.
It’s a fortune his children would love to inherit one day — but one that the Food Network star says will come at a cost to them.
The Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives host and his wife Lori Fieri, to whom he’s been married since 1995, are parents to two sons, Hunter, 28, and Ryder, 19.
© Getty ImagesGuy, recently speaking with Business Insider, said of his fortune, and his rule for his kids to access it: “If you want this cheese, you got to get two degrees.”
The TV host, who has been hosting his beloved Food Network show since 2007 for a whopping 51 seasons, has a reported net worth of $100 million.
So far, his eldest son Hunter is just a month away from earning the two degrees, as this May he will graduate with an MBA from the University of Miami, while his nephew Jules, 26, who he has helped raise since his sister died in 2011, recently graduated from the Loyola Marymount University law school, per the outlet.
© InstagramHowever, his youngest Ryder is still some years away from getting his first degree, let alone two. “Poor Ryder is just finishing his freshman year at San Diego State University,” Guy shared, adding: “The boys rib him all the time. They’re like, ‘You know, we’re done. You still have to go finish college and go get your postgraduate.'”
Naturally, Ryder has tried to get out of it. “He’s like, ‘Dad, come on, give me a break. How about if I get great grades the whole time?'” Guy revealed.
© Getty ImagesFurther speaking on his approach to the kids’ inheritance, Guy explained: “It’s a thing that my dad said to me when I was a kid. He said, ‘When I die, I’m leaving you nothing except a funeral bill.”
© InstagramHe added: “It’s a joke because my dad already gave me everything. My dad gave me an education. My dad gave me awareness. My dad gave me the tools of life. It was very clear at a very young age that I was going to have to go make it on my own.”
© Instagram“And these boys all know that I’m going to back them up and be there for them and help them out,” he noted, however emphasized: “But I told them, ‘You’ve got to go do this. You’ve got to go stake your claim and go figure out what you’re going to do.'”
In addition to his schooling at San Diego State, Ryder also works for the school’s basketball team, and helps his dad on both of his Food Network shows, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and Guy’s Grocery Games.
