Throwdown! with Bobby Flay and Stephanie March is truly hitting its mid-season stride. Divorce proceedings between the celebrity chef and the former Law & Order: SVU actress are heating up, and they’re chock full of juicy allegations and raw emotions that are sure to leave a bitter taste in the mouth of all parties involved. Here’s wondering if Bobby Flay knows what happens when you stir together alleged infidelity, chef’s knives, and an understandably bitter ex-wife with a working knowledge of courtroom showdowns.
The drama, according to TMZ, started when Flay moved out of his and March’s shared home back in February. Earlier in the year, Bobby allegedly failed to rush to Stephanie’s side after her appendix burst. Flay also apparently chose to skip his 10-year wedding anniversary—the emotional neglect anniversary—to attend a food & wine festival in Florida.
Needless to say, the divorce proceedings quickly got ugly. As a third-time husband, Flay had cleverly insisted on a prenup with alimony of $5,000 a month and a $1 million buyout for their family home. But March, who has made her living fake-prosecuting criminals, isn’t afraid of a legal battle, and isn’t about to abide by an alimony agreement that barely covers her monthly skirt-suit budget. March is claiming that Flay’s estimated $20 million net worth is in large part due to her terrific taste. In legal documents to set aside the prenup, the actress argues that she has been integral to building Flay’s restaurant empire—suggesting menu additions and essentially teaching Bobby Flay what tapas is. According to the less-than-convincing appeal, Flay told his soon-to-be ex that she has “an amazing palate”—which may or may not be what he tells all the girls.
In addition to insisting upon the original alimony, Flay also, according to TMZ, cut off March’s credit cards, which were used for everyday expenses including “food and pet supplies.” Because no one messes with Stephanie March’s pet supplies, the star quickly retaliated with accusations that there were too many chefs in the kitchen—the “kitchen” is March and Flay’s marriage, and the “chefs” are Bobby Flay and the multiple women he was allegedly sleeping with.
Today’s secret ingredient is… adultery! The bad boy of burgers (gross) stands accused of a three-year affair with his assistant, Elyse Tirrell. The Flay camp neither confirmed nor denied the affair, while a friend of March’s hilariously told Page Six that “this girl is about to become the Monica Lewinsky of the food world.”
Flay, whose signature dish is apparently icy blondes, didn’t stop at just one yearlong affair. Celebrity obsessed shut-ins will recall a minor incident back in 2010, when January Jones was involved in a small car crash and called Bobby Flay for help, which he provided. No one knew why Jones would call Flay and it was a huge mystery, except that nobody cared and everybody forgot about it. When asked about the incident at the time, Flay said he had met Jones for the first time that night, and that “she asked for his number because she wanted to redo her kitchen and give his number to her designer.” He also insisted that he didn’t know why Jones chose to call him, “but nonetheless he drove over to help her.”
March, meanwhile, is alleging that Jones and her husband “had sex many times and in different places, including the London Hotel in Los Angeles,” and that Flay cheated on her with a third woman as well.
In addition to the emotional trauma of allegedly being cheated on by a husband that she is way hotter than, March is also reportedly citing medical problems as proof that she is unable to work, and therefore faces “undue financial hardship.” Flay insists that March’s infections were the result of breast enhancement surgery.
In the next round of accusations, March reportedly went after her estranged husband for pocketing the earnings of a racehorse he gave to her. Stephanie claims “Dad’s Crazy,” who is a horse, was a fourth-anniversary present for her that allegedly ended up earning Flay $130,000 in winnings (not including another $60K on the auction block). Flay totally denies pilfering all the equestrian earnings.
While March has, so far, refrained from publicly embarrassing Flay, someone isn’t afraid of serving him up serious shade. On Tuesday, Flay was honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. The menu for the evening quickly shifted from fame to shame as a plane began to circle above the proceedings, trailing behind a banner that read “cheater.” March and her amazing palate are claiming that they had nothing to do with the public display of aggression, but it’s fair to say that this divorce hasn’t even reached its boiling point.
“Dad’s Crazy” was not available for comment.