Guy Fieri is one of the biggest stars on the Food Network, with Parade alleging that he has a net worth of about $70 million, but that doesn’t mean that he’s giving his sons a free ride in life. In fact, he’s doing just the opposite, as he’s trying to raise his boys with the kind of work ethics that his own father gave him in his youth.
Fieri Raising His Sons To Work Hard
“I’ve told them the same thing my dad told me,” Fieri told Fox News. “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 added.
Fieri and his wife Lori have been married since 1995, and they are the parents of two sons: Hunter and Ryder. They are also raising their nephew Jules, who they took in after the 2011 death of Fieri’s sister Morgan, who died of a metazoic melanoma.
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Fieri’s Teenager Fights Back
While Hunter and Jules are both adults who are out of the house and launching their own careers, the 17 year-old Ryder recently took issue with his dad’s rules about hard work.
“My youngest son, Ryder, is a senior in high school getting ready to graduate, or you know, going to graduate in the spring,” Fieri explained. “And he’s like, ‘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?’”
“Shaq said it best,” Fieri continued.”Shaq said it about his kids one time. He says, ‘If you want any of this cheese, you’ve got to give me two degrees.’ Well, my two degrees mean, you know, postgraduate. So they’re on their way.”
Fieri’s 27 year-old son Hunter has already signed his own contract with the Food Network. He’s currently working on his master’s degree, and he is the top salesman for Hunt & Ryde, the family wine brand.
“I think the kid’s going to explode,” Fieri proudly said of his son.
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Fieri Gives Sons Old Family Cars
Fieri is known for being a car aficionado, so fans would likely assume that he bought his sons fancy and expensive cars when they turned 16, but that’s not the route that he chose to go.
“All the kids got to drive a family car when they first got their license until they earned their money,” Fieri said. “And so Hunter and Jules drove my dad’s old green pickup truck.”
When Ryder turned 16, Fieri gathered the teenager and his friends for what the young man assumed would be the big reveal of a snazzy new car.
“Held the key up, and I go. Here you go, son. Smiling ear to ear, pushes the button and the alarm goes off on my parent’s 1994 champagne Chrysler minivan,” Fieri recalled. “Because I bought my mom a new car that day, and they took their van from them. And he’s like, ‘no way. No way. I’m not driving the minivan.’”
“I said, ‘Ride your bike. I don’t care. You need a car to drive. The minivan is available,’” Fieri added. “Took him about a week. He softened up and then. Then he loved the minivan. He was the coolest guy cruising that.”
It’s clear that unlike the vast majority of wealthy folks in the entertainment world, Fieri is actually raising his boys to be hard-working young men who will be able to actually get themselves far in life. In the end, they are lucky to have a no-nonsense father like Guy Fieri behind them!
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