Following Up on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Disaster

In regards to that "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Disaster" story in which producer David Page accuses Guy Fieri of being an anti-semitic homophobic control freak with an irrational love of shorts and breasts, a spokesman for Fieri tells Eater:

Guy’s reputation speaks for itself. He’s a standup guy who does right by people. He would never make the kind of comments attributed to him in this story, and anyone who knows or has even met him knows that. That Mr. Page made these sadly desperate statements says more about him than it does about Guy or anyone on the Food Network team.

A source with knowledge of the situation also got in touch. Calling the City Pages article riddled with "omissions," "basic errors" and "complete fabrications," they accused the author Gregory Pratt of sloppily fact-checking Page's background and simple details about Fieri. They pretty much destroyed almost everything Page had to say, calling Page's recollections of events "fantasies."

Regarding the revenue from the bestselling Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives books, the source claimed Page was never entitled to anything according to his contract with the Food Network: "All book rights to the show remained with Food Network."

As for being a homophobe, they called it an "outlandish" and "ridiculous" claim. "The fact that the only confirmation of this comes from a producer who currently draws a paycheck from Page is telling," they said. "Guy's own sister, who recently passed away, was gay."

· All Guy Fieri Coverage on Eater [-E-]