Guy Fieri looked unrecognizable in his birthday post. Here’s why
Your eyes were not deceiving you. Guy Fieri looked some kind of other way in an Instagram post for his birthday the other day.
The celebrity chef, who turned 58 last Thursday, was clean-shaven, rocking a brown combover and dressed in an uncharacteristically preppy outfit of a button-down shirt and sensible khakis.
Where were the signature goatee, spiky blond hair, chunky bling and fierce attitude? Gone.
The caption’s explanation: “New Year. New Guy. New Look.”
Indeed, Fieri looked so different (a cross between Fred Flintstone and an insurance salesman, commenters noted) that Instagram flagged the post as AI.
It wasn’t.
The so-called Mayor of Flavortown actually did undergo the unflattering make-under. The reason? A lucrative endeavor.
Nope, the TV personality’s not entering the workforce as a 9-5 cubicle drone — despite slowing down after tearing his quad during an on-set accident last year. Fieri was hired to star in a Super Bowl ad for Bosch Home Appliances as his alter ego, aka “JustAGuy.”
Regardless of the likely sizable paycheck, the “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” host got a kick out of stepping away from his rocker persona. The California native told People magazine that even his own mother didn’t recognize him.
“I sent the picture to my mom and she said, ‘Who is that?’” Fieri told the outlet. “She said, ‘It really looks a lot like you, but I know it’s not you.’ I said, ‘Mom, that’s me.’”
The sure to be hysterical (not to mention viral) spot is set to air during halftime on Super Bowl Sunday Feb. 8 on NBC, with 30 seconds costing an average of a cool $8 million.
A little under two weeks later, Fieri will be back in the spotlight at one of his favorite events, the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. The Singer Island, Florida, resident has two nighttime events on Feb. 20.
First, he’ll host the “Tournament of Champions,” a culinary showdown among five teams— each led by a past winner from the Food Network series of the same name — on the sands in front of the Ritz-Carlton Miami Beach. Then the tequila/stogie lover will head to the Kimpton Angler Hotel’s rooftop to partake in “Cigars and Spirits,” which is, as the name suggests, a gathering ideal for smokers and drinkers.
And fans, don’t worry. JustAGuy isn’t invited.
