Selena Gomez can't keep her hands to herself — or her food, apparently.
On May 17, Food Network announced two new projects set to be hosted by the “Only Murders in the Building” star. The news was shared during the Warner Bros. Discovery upfronts and marks Gomez’s first foray into the Food Network universe.
The first Gomez-helmed culinary program will debut on the channel in late 2023 and is described as a “celebration-focused series” that will come just in time for the holiday season. (And we know how much Food Network loves the holidays.)
“The holidays are always huge for Food Network,” said Kathleen Finch, chairman and chief content officer of U.S. networks for Warner Bros. Discovery. “Having Selena kicking off the nearly 100 hours of new and returning holiday programming will certainly make this coming season one to celebrate.”
Then, in 2024, Gomez will also start working on another new series that will feature the actor, singer and host meeting up with “some of the best chefs in the country” in a quest to cook their most popular dishes during visits to their kitchens.
Gomez makes the move to Food Network fresh off her Emmy-nominated HBO Max series, “Selena + Chef.” First conceived during the pandemic, Gomez was joined remotely by well-regarded chefs to school her on signature dishes to see if they could “make a meal together, apart,” according to the star.
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Welcoming food icons like Padma Lakshmi, Roy Choi and Gordon Ramsay, Gomez proved to be a heartwarming and relatable host. Over four seasons, she fielded calls from “cute” boys, was flustered by culinary techniques like we all have been at times, and other funny moments.
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The series became a hit, premiering its fourth Malibu-filmed season in August 2022. Both Food Network and HBO Max are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The pair of new Gomez projects will be produced by July Moon Productions and the Intellectual Property Corporation.
But while Gomez is joining the channel, two Food Network giants make their way out. Giada De Laurentiis announced in February that she would be leaving the network after 20 years, following news that she'd signed a deal to create and produce unscripted TV programming for Amazon Studios. And Valerie Bertinelli’s show “Valerie’s Home Cooking” was canceled after 14 seasons, the host shared in April.
“Food Network canceled us last summer, I have no idea why. And I didn’t say anything last summer because honestly, I was hoping they would change their mind. But they have not," Bertinelli said at the time.
“So this is it. This is the final season,” she continued. “I have loved making this show. It was such a dream come true. Every single part of it brought me so much joy. I love the crew. I loved everybody in production. They loved making this show for you.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
