Giada De Laurentiis reveals surprising reason she left the Food Network after 21 years

Giada De Laurentiis revealed why she left the Food Network after 21 years.

The 54-year-old Italian-American chef — who recently revealed the three things to look for when buying olive oil — recently opened up about why she stepped away from her old gig.

Giada had announced her departure from the network in early 2023, while also revealing at the time that she had signed a multi-year deal with Amazon Studios.

She recently revealed that her reason for taking the big leap in her career was to open up her entrepreneurial side, which would have been difficult to combine with what she was doing at the time.

On Rebecca Minkoff’s Superwomen podcast, she explained, “It took me a while to make this decision because I was really scared about leaving Food Network.

‘Because if you’re a big fish in that pond and you get out, who knows what’s going to happen? But I started to get really interested in the entrepreneurial kind of travel. And I realized I couldn’t do both.”

Fashion designer and podcaster Rebecca asked if she missed working at the Food Network.

Giada replied, “No. I know, I should say yes. I think it’s because I suffered a burnout. I really worked so hard for so long. I became burned out and couldn’t see a path that was exciting anymore. I need excitement. And if I’m bored, my viewers are bored too.’

With her newfound freedom, the entrepreneur has been able to open new doors in her career, including the creation of her own lifestyle brand Giadzy.

She said, “So about two and a half years ago I finally thought, okay, I’m going to make the leap, and I’m going to put my energy into Giadzy. I still do television. I have a deal with Amazon, so I still do that a little bit, but it’s definitely not the schedule I used to have. Absolutely not.’

This came days after she once again shared her expertise on social media, and this time she shared her top tips to consider when shopping for bottles of olive oil.

In an Instagram video posted Monday, the Food Network star filmed herself in a grocery store as she revealed the three things consumers should look for when purchasing that key ingredient.

Giada, 54, wearing a sheer black top and khaki green button-up pants, started the clip by telling her 2.2 million followers, “Here are a few little things to remember when you buy olive oil.”

Turning to the shelf and touching some of the products on display, the blonde star revealed: ‘The best kind of olive oil is in glass, colored glass because it protects… the dark colored glass protects the olives in it.

Giada (seen at a Food Network event in New York in October 2021) had announced that she was leaving the network in early 2023, when she also revealed that the time she had signed a multi-year deal with Amazon Studios

“Otherwise they go rancid, from heat and sunlight,” she continued, before advising: “Anything plastic isn’t always the best way to hold olive oil.

‘And we haven’t even mentioned the microplastics it contains, which are not good for your health!’ she added, before moving on to her top tips.

“So the other thing you want to look for is an olive variety,” Giada said as she picked up a specific bottle.

“This one is from California and you can see it because they show it here. All olives come from the state of California.

‘So it doesn’t necessarily mean that it concerns one olive. It’s probably a combination of olives, but they all come from the state of California.”

‘Better for you too [is] really good, first pressing of the olive, so it’s fresh and has the best flavor and the best oil coming out of the olive,” she advised.

Finishing her reel, Giada added, “So it’s up to you what the flavor profile is you’re looking for, but remember: one olive, single origin, first pressing, best flavor, that way… glass container , always, and a dark glass container is the top of the top.

“Hope that helped, enjoy your olive oil!” Giada said at the end, before giving the camera a double thumbs up and a goofy grin.

Giada recently shared her top tips to keep in mind when shopping for bottles of olive oil

The TV star revealed that olive oil should always be purchased in a dark glass bottle

Her followers were quick to comment on the post as someone told her: “Great info!” and another said: ‘So helpful!’

A third person commented: ‘Great video. Really informative. Thanks Giada,” while a fourth said: “I’m listening to what Giada says!!”

Someone else wrote: ‘I’ve always wondered how to choose! This was so helpful!’ and another complimented Giada, saying, “Have you ever aged? Keep doing what you’re doing!’

Giada is no stranger to sharing her food expertise on camera, as she used to host her own show on the Food Network called Giada at Home.

Giada imagined himself preparing food at the New York City Wine & Food Festival in October 2021

Giada pictured with her 16-year-old lookalike daughter Jade Marie De Laurentiis-Thompson

The mother of one also appears regularly as a contributor and guest co-host on NBC’s morning show Today.

In September, Giada took to social media and shared a video of her lookalike daughter, Jade Marie De Laurentiis-Thompson, 16, singing with her band The Hours.

Jade can be seen singing lead near a train station, possibly in the tradition of buskers.

The Food Network star – who underwent sinus surgery earlier this year – shares Jade with her ex-husband, fashion designer Todd Thompson.