While Guy Fieri may be known to the masses as the Mayor of Flavortown, the longtime Food Network personality and Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives host is ~just dad~ to sons Hunter, 26, and Ryder, 17, with wife Lori. He's also a father figure to his 22-year-old nephew, Jules, whom he raised after his late sister's death in 2011.
"Most of my friends will [say] I haven't changed. I think it's because when I got into television, I'd already done what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a great dad," Fieri told PEOPLE in 2022. "Family is always the first priority."
Fieri's fam has been a fixture on his long-running series, and Hunter appeared on Guy's Grocery Games and Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives. Guy has even hinted at Hunter taking over Triple D, while Ryder has similarly made several public appearances over the years.
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Now, let's dive (ha ha, sorry) a little deeper into Fieri's family life.
Who Is Hunter Fieri?
26-year-old Hunter Fieri—a.k.a. the oldest of Guy and Lori's kids—is basically a carbon copy of his father (minus the frosted tips). In addition to stints on papa Fieri's shows, the University of Nevada Las Vegas graduate interned with restaurant group Caesar's (where Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, and Gordon Ramsay all have projects of their own), PEOPLE reports.
Ramsay himself even offered Hunter an opportunity to work with him in London—though a snafu with his study abroad credits dashed those plans.
"The Gordon opportunity—that was Hunter talking to Gordon," Guy told Delish back in 2018. "I don't call any buddies for favors. Hunter doesn't play it. That's one of the things I'm most proud of."
And while Fieri is all for his son training elsewhere—"I wanted him to get a couple years of his own feeling and flavor and message," he said—that doesn't mean The Mayor of Flavortown isn't looking to pass off the title.
"When that gets done, we'll all know when it's time for him to come back to the family program. It's gonna happen, I don't have any question," he said. "Matter of fact, I look forward to it. I'm almost wanting to cheat the system and bring him back early, but I know what's going to be best for him."
Hunter introduced his first independent project, a 12-minute documentary called What Plants Can Do, back in 2021, exploring the ins and outs of plant-based brand ZENB's yellow pea pasta.
"I want to follow in the same path because I feel like I can kill it with that. I want it all," Hunter said. "I want to open my own restaurants—to have things that I created and things my dad created and run this empire."
Who Is Ryder Fieri?
While Fieri's youngest, 17-year-old Ryder, is not *quite* as recognizable as his older brother, he has made some public appearances. He also just might be gearing up to follow in his dad (and brother's) footsteps next. In February, Guy posted a pic from the set of Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives on Instagram, writing, "Ryder cohosting DDD in Boise today and he did great!! So funny."
In fact, family man Guy regularly photos snaps of his sons, including Ryder, on social media. Earlier this year, he shared a pic of ahead of his youngest son's junior prom on IG stories. "Alexa, play 'Homecoming' by Kanye😴," Guy wrote on Instagram.
While Ryder himself—whose IG bio reads "Flavortown🍴"—posts the occasional 'gram. He shared a carousel of photos featuring Guy, Jules, and Hunter in February.
Who Is Jules Fieri?
Following the death of Fieri's sister—who passed away from Melanoma in 2011—Guy and Lori raised their nephew, Jules, as their own. The 22-year-old graduated from California State University San Marcos (with Guy, Lori, Hunter, and Ryder cheering him on from the crowd, of course) in 2022. According to his LinkedIn, he is now working as a junior agent at Spin Artist Agency.
Like Hunter and Ryder, Jules remains close with Guy. Just last month, he shared a photo alongside Guy and Hunter (and G Eazy). "Flavorland," he captioned the shot. The pair even got matching tattoos during the short-lived series, Guy! Hawaii Style. While chatting about his bond with Jules in the episode, Fieri opened up about his last words to his sister.
"Morgan, I got Jules. I will take care of him like I take care of my kids," he said. "He is my son, I got this."
Megan Schaltegger is an NYC-based writer. She loves strong coffee, eating her way through the Manhattan food scene, and her dog, Murray. She promises not to talk about herself in third person IRL.
