Guy Fieri Speaks Out After Getting Backlash For Embracing Tate Brothers At UFC Fight—But Not Everyone's Buying It

In a moment that felt less Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and more “who signed off on this,” Guy Fieri found himself at the center of backlash after a very public embrace of two of the internet’s most polarizing figures.

Food Network star Guy Fieri is facing social media backlash over his friendly greeting of controversial “manosphere” influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate at a recent UFC fight, prompting him to release a statement claiming he doesn’t actually know them and does not support them “in any way.”

Fieri addressed the moment directly in a post on X Tuesday:

“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. 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.”

His explanation followed the rapid spread of video and photos from UFC 327, captured inside Miami’s Kaseya Center on April 11—an event that drew a high-profile crowd, including President Donald Trump. In the clips, Fieri greets Andrew and Tristan Tate with a handshake that turns into a shoulder bump and brief embrace, a moment that quickly took on a life of its own online.

You can watch the controversial exchange below:

And, of course, Fieri doubled down on his statement, attempting to draw a clear line between a brief public interaction and any perceived endorsement.

Insisting there was no support behind the interaction, Fieri added:

“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.”

You can view his mea culpa post below:

But not everyone is buying it.

According to TMZ, Joe McBride, the brothers’ lawyer, pushed back on Fieri’s version of events, claiming the chef “knew exactly” who they were and only distanced himself after the backlash hit.

McBride says Fieri was "pressured into his pathetic capitulation" by the same people who:

"Spent years manufacturing a case against two innocent men. They are not interested in justice. They are interested in control. And Guy Fieri just showed them it works."

Sure, Jan.

Online, the skepticism didn’t stop there. Social media users quickly questioned Fieri’s claim that he was unfamiliar with the Tate brothers, with many framing his response as a walk-back rather than a genuine explanation.

You can view the reactions here:

The backlash also put a harsher spotlight on who Andrew and Tristan Tate are and why the reaction was so immediate.

The brothers are currently under criminal investigation in multiple countries. In the UK, they face charges of rape and trafficking, according to the New York Times. In Romania, where they have also been investigated for human trafficking and rape, a court recently lifted “all preventative judicial control measures” while the case continues, per Reuters.

Andrew Tate’s travel restrictions were lifted in February 2025, and as of early 2026, he continues to contest the charges, while a U.K. investigation was reopened in March 2026.

The former kickboxers, who hold dual U.S.-British citizenship, have denied all allegations. Andrew Tate, described by Reuters as a “self-described misogynist,” has built a massive following promoting an ultra-masculine lifestyle that critics say denigrates women.

Fieri, a longtime Food Network fixture since 2006 and the face of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Guy’s Grocery Games, isn’t typically associated with this kind of controversy.

The online reaction was less about what he was serving and more about who he was seen standing next to—and what he claims to stand for these days.