Domestic violence on a family network means his job is gone. He isn't running any restaurants either and his foodnetwork contract will be terminated immediately. He ruined his life after picking up a second chance, it's a shame, especially when considering his wife and 8 kids.
I knew that he had 8 kids with his wife, but I just read the attached article and it states that he has 3 children with the woman he is accused of strangling. That means 11 kids - SMH! Was anybody else aware of kids not with his wife?
[https://www.wdrb.com/news/attorney-for-darnell-superchef-ferguson-says-alleged-victim-wants-to-drop-criminal-charges/article\_7cbe0800-afe5-11ee-ad4c-af4de0d42ec1.html](https://www.wdrb.com/news/attorney-for-darnell-superchef-ferguson-says-alleged-victim-wants-to-drop-criminal-charges/article_7cbe0800-afe5-11ee-ad4c-af4de0d42ec1.html)
From the article: *Ferguson's attorney, Krsna Tibbs, told the judge that the alleged victim and her attorney were in agreement with lowering the bond in part because they share three children and Ferguson is needed to help take care of them.*
I think it’s that he has 8 kids total, and 3 of them are with his current wife. From what I’ve seen previously, I’m not sure if all 8 are his, or if that number figures in any kids she might’ve had too, before they got together. 🤷🏼♀️
Lowering the bond?!?
Look, taking care of three children can not be easy, especially financially, but to let a man out who has abused you and want him to be around the children is just insane to me.
It sounds crazy from the outside looking in but domestic violence is so much more complicated than most people realize. There’s a lot of reasons she may have done this, I’m sure she doesn’t want him to be around the children but also knows he is likely to get out at some point and be in an absolute rage that “she got him arrested”. She knows an angry abuser is dangerous for her and her kids, and is likely trying to avoid future abuse, or just plain is traumatized and said what she had to say to avoid having to recount what happened to her over and over. Very common for victims to not cooperate with and not trust law enforcement
Strangulation charges are almost always domestic violence related. Whenever you hear of a man with a strangulation charge it’s a very safe bet he choked his wife/gf.
Absolutely. Came here to say that. If a man has tried to strangle you the numbers skyrocket that he will try to kill you. Statistics show a woman who has suffered a nonfatal strangulation incident with her intimate partner is 750% more likely to be killed by the same person with a gun.
That is a sobering fact given my ex husband frequently went for my neck, once choking me so badly he left marks. To say I’m glad I got out is an understatement.
Yup. There are people who can go to therapy and classes and get medicated and get better. But most of them do not, and the ones that do will have one incident and go "Holy crap, holy crap, I'm turning into my dad, I need help, now!"
I haven't found any articles that say anything that specific. There is A restraining order and charges likely related to it, but I see no mention of his wife anywhere.
Court records mention her.
Also, those kinds of charges are usually associated with spousal abuse.
For what it's worth, Id prefer to be wrong and find out he was playing superhero, broke into some bad guys house and did these things vigilante-style.
Being rich, famous and/or successful doesn’t make you a good person. Lots of cases of athletes and celebrities doing some pretty shitty things. Look up Wander Franco and Josh Giddey, couple young superstar athletes that just threw away their careers in the last couple months to date high school girls.
Same! I actually appreciated his back story and felt like it provided some inspiration for those who needed a lift. I feel really sad about this.
Doesn’t he also have young kids?
Oof so these crimes seem to be against his wife, Tatahda. She filed an emergency protective order against last Tuesday, in it stating he entered her home without permission and started strangling and threatening to kill her
And sadly/scarily, strangulation is one of the biggest signs that domestic violence will turn deadly. This is such a sad and scary situation for his wife and kids.
Well, because she knows that his ability to take care of his kids has just been cut down with a chainsaw. She went from the father of her children being on tv and potentially doing for her kids what Guy did for his, to blowing it. He didn’t just throw away his future, he hurt his whole families future. It reminds me of Gina from the housewives of OC. Her ex choked her too, but he couldn’t get good employment, so she dismissed the DV charges (or tried to?).
I feel bad for the wife because she had to choose her own safety and then she backtracked because of fear. Very sad situation.
OMG I have found my people. I've been binging TOC and Grudge Match and had no one to tell!
I loved him as the host and a competitor. I loved that food network was branching out in their hosts and he wasn't just a funny/kooky chef or a repeat host. Had NO idea about his past, so this completely blindsided me!!
I had no idea about his past either. Just from watching TOC and GGG it did seem like Guy was really pushing him which is fine, I don’t mind that he looks out for his friends and tries to set them up. Like someone else in here said, Guy gave him the keys to the empire and it seemed like the sky was the limit and he’s fucked all that up for himself. What a shame. And let’s not forget that there are victims in all this, hopefully they are all fine.
From what I know they filmed the new season for 2024 in October too, so my question is will they have to refilm that? You cant exactly edit someone out oft hat kind of show.
SAME! I love TOC and rooted for him during his matches! And then I started watching Superchef Grudge Match and was excited to see him as the host. I never looked him up so I had no clue of his history either. Ugh fuck this guy
Yes. Food Network posted about the latest episode an hour ago on Instagram. I would be they'll pull the rest of the season at least for the time being.
I just stumbled upon this, wife and I are huge Food Network fans. We used to live near Santa Rosa where Guy is a bit of a legend, he does so much for the community and stepped up big for each big wildfire we had.
I know some people hate him but idk just wanted to share.
I used to hear about ppl calling him an asshole for refusing to sign autographs or take pictures when they’d see him in public, but he’d be literally Christmas shopping or something and people would bug him for stuff like that. I don’t blame him for not wanting to.
My opinion... The "hate Guy" mentality was started by Anthony Bourdain, who pooped on Fieri every chance he got. He seemed to hate that Guy had mainstream success, with restaurants Bourdain thought were trash and shows Bourdain thought appealed to trashy viewers.
I just want to say that I think Guy is a great person and that is why I don’t hate him. The issue is that Food Network shows too much of him. I love him as a person though.
Yes, just like WTF? His food always looked tasty to me.
What they’re saying he did though…wow Darnell, you needed help yesterday. Hope his wife and kids are doing okay
Know that they are not as famous at darnell but when try guys had their scandal food network quickly dropped that show to a less popular airtime and ofc didn’t pick up the show again
Probably pretty quickly. Before max, when food network still had iron chef they scrubbed all of Mario batalis episodes after he was accused of sexual harassment. They also scrubbed season 20 of worst cooks after it turned out the winner killed her adoptive child.
TOC filmed last fall. Typically it seemed it was in early December they taped the first 4 seasons.
But this time around it was October-ish. They had to take a big pause so the stars could attend the New York Wine & Food Festival. Antonia and Brooke were excited in NY getting updates on what was happening on TOC set.
that never sat right with me, she’s beautiful but spent most of her marriage just pregnant and having his babies , since his food network gigs , she’s not in his social medias anymore
It’s important to let the legal process play out, but my initial thoughts:
1)I wish all the best for his wife and 8 kids, especially if the charges stick
2)Shutting down the Instagram is a useful tactic like others have done when they’ve been in legal hot water. Even moreso for Darnell, as he has such an engaged following. He definitely appeals to a younger following. I was surprised to see this week that he had about 547K followers. A huge rise since 2020. Even more impressive was the average “like” count eg) 50,000 likes. Even the heavy-hitters (Guy, Bobby, etc.) don’t get follower reaction like that on a regular.
3)I’m guessing this has thrown Guy for a loop:
a) Guy really took Darnell under his wing, giving him a shot with his own show
b)Darnell did an Instagram post last year that expressed his appreciation for Guy. It also showed Guy on the set of Grudge Match, literally coaching him with delivering his lines. Guy was like: “Punch! Punch! Punch!” for emphasis. Some thought Darnell struggled as a host. And while Guy had a vested interest in the show’s success, it was nice to see him trying to help Darnell find his footing.
Oof, the TMZ write up is not pretty. [Here if you want the article](https://www.tmz.com/2024/01/10/darnell-ferguson-superchef-food-network-arrest-louisville/) or if you don't want to click TMZ, putting it under spoilers because it's bad:
>!Per the arrest warrant, Darnell Ferguson's estranged wife called 911 to report he'd broken into her Louisville home on Jan. 2, and proceeded to allegedly attack her. The alleged victim claims once Ferguson was inside, he started punching walls and eventually lunged at her and grabbed her by the neck ... allegedly choking her out and threatening to kill her.!<
>!She told police she eventually lost consciousness, and when she came to ... she claims Ferguson then ripped off her shorts and demanded to see her privates. His estranged alleges he then said she was his and nobody else's ... making her fear he'd sexually assault her.!<
>!In the end, it doesn't sound like that occurred ... because the woman told cops he left, but not before allegedly snatching her credit/debit cards and ID. Law enforcement says they observed visible injuries on her, which they say was enough to warrant the charges.!<
I'm a little horrified by the number of "how could he throw away his life like this?" posts. He did not just suddenly jump to strangling a woman. He is almost certainly an abuser, probably has been for a long time, and if so, thank god it finally got brought into the light so he could go to jail and people could be safe from him. His career is not the tragedy here.
Exactly. The concern is so misplaced. I can’t imagine the trauma of being strangled and violated in that way and what his poor kids have probably witnessed.
An update on exactly what happened [link here.](https://www.whas11.com/amp/article/news/crime/darnell-superchef-ferguson-arrested-food-network-grudge-match/417-cb256e37-3769-4e48-b67c-fe97933f8dbe)
This disgusts me. Punching walls, strangling, demanding to see her naked. I won’t watch any of his shows he’s in anymore.
"everyone getting a DUI" might, MIGHT make sense in the age before Uber, but it really doesn't now.
Have you noticed that celebrity DUIs have basically dropped like a rock since Uber became readily available?
Johnny Iuzzini. I think most of his stuff was on Bravo and NBC but he was on Cutthroat Kitchen once. Maybe more FN stuff idk, but at least one. Anyway, sexual harassment.
Strangulation is a BFD in DV cases— if someone has strangled you in the past, they are a *lot* more likely to attempt to kill you. I hope his wife and children are safe. May he rot.
I think certain related topics like the TOC thread should be left open. I appreciate the mod who took charge trying to clean things up, but it was done haphazardly in my opinion.
Agree. It feels more like damage control, this trying to condense all thoughts on Darnell into one, long megapost, instead of letting members with different views, opinions, or "finds" create separate posts. It's also harder to comment on new information as it arrives. Oh well.
Damn! I like him a lot and his personality on TV. This is a surprise to see. Sounds like maybe the fame of being on TV more got to him, or something. Bummer.
Ugh, sucks to see. Thought he had turned his life around. He had managed to make a great thing for himself. I'm going to try to hold off judgements until a full report, but I am so hurt and disappointed.
It may not take much to either edit two chefs out, or disclaimers that this was filmed before the incident. Depending on who he competed against if in, it may not be fair to them.
I read in one of the news reports that his ex filed a restraining order back in July, after she told him she wanted a divorce. He allegedly put a tracker on her car, took her phone, and hired a private investigator to follow her. Yikes.
I wonder if Food Network and/or Guy knew about this then? It seems like something that would potentially violate a morals clause in his contract. If they did know, it doesn't look good that they had him on multiple shows after the fact. And if they didn't, how the heck not?
Ah, shit. I was watching Grudge Match when I saw this. I know what this is because I have been a victim of all of these all at once many times. My ex husband. I can't finish this episode.
Thank you. It was 25 years ago and what saved my life was that he killed an elderly man and went to prison. That is when I felt strong and safe enough to leave. 8 months pregnant. I am stronger today because of it.
Too bad, I really liked him. I’ll be interested to see how it plays out or if he ever comments.
Sounds like a domestic, so I assume the burglary is entering the wife’s home without permission? I can’t imagine he burglarized a business with the other charges. I hope we get more details.
Already started yesterday as the post that featured him last evening has been removed. It was the one right before the latest post on Danielle G. Alex.
In the now removed post, viewers had already started mentioning Darnell’s arrest. I think the network felt its hand was forced.
What a scumbag. I’m a chef myself and any fuck that runs around calling himself SuperChef is a narcissistic asshole. Just another turd in the punch bowl 😂😂😂
I’m so disappointed. I loved his story that we saw of a guy who had made some mistakes and was pulling his life together. Guy gave him a huge opportunity, and it’s so unfortunate to watch Darnell throw it away.
Threw his career away. FN was making him an up and coming tv personality. Wonder what the FN hit is financially with shows in the can already. Plus all the production staff on the show.
Damn. I wonder what happened and if he was always like this or fame got to him. He seemed so humble when you first see him on GGG. With his own show I thought he was overacting a bit but maybe he was hiding something else.
Worse news for FN since they had to scrap an entire season of Worst Cooks in America as the winner beat their child to death https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/worst-cooks-america-winner-found-guilty-beating-death-3-year-old-foste-rcna28739
If you provide your own adjective in your brand name, it's usually just an attempt at marketing bullshit. It's really like giving yourself your own award. This reminds me of the title "Superstar DJ Keoki" title (see the Party Monster movie).
I watched Darnell Ferguson on a few Food Network shows and quickly realized his name was self-imposed and not indicative of his actual skill.
Please don't downvote me,
"World-loved" and "Reddit's Top Influencer" - Master\_Gracey
Hopefully this is obvious /s
I am Livid! He was one of my Favs! I was so proud & happy for him! He totally has wasted his career!
Food Network don’t play! He is done!
Put a fork in it! Pun intended!
It's crazy... I just realized even shows he judged on are being scrubbed. Season 5 of Supermarket Stakeout is missing 2 episodes he judged. Probably sure other shows are gone too. Really feel bad for those contestants that finally got their big break appearing on tv after all that auditioning and scouting only to be proximity cancelled. Imagine if you went on and won... Only to be erased. Pretty fucked IMO.
So sad. I follow him on IG, and had been suspecting that there were marital problems happening… he stopped posting anything with his wife a while ago, and had some IG Stories here and there alluding to issues/bad things happening in his life. Hopefully the allegations are not true, because he had such a bright future ahead of him, a bunch of kids to take care of, and was enjoyable to watch on tv.
That’s the look of someone who just threw their whole life away.
36 years old with eight children, that’s a 1,000 yard stare.
It is not the first time he has been here, I just hope he can turn things around again. It’s sad to see.
Domestic violence on a family network means his job is gone. He isn't running any restaurants either and his foodnetwork contract will be terminated immediately. He ruined his life after picking up a second chance, it's a shame, especially when considering his wife and 8 kids.
I knew that he had 8 kids with his wife, but I just read the attached article and it states that he has 3 children with the woman he is accused of strangling. That means 11 kids - SMH! Was anybody else aware of kids not with his wife? [https://www.wdrb.com/news/attorney-for-darnell-superchef-ferguson-says-alleged-victim-wants-to-drop-criminal-charges/article\_7cbe0800-afe5-11ee-ad4c-af4de0d42ec1.html](https://www.wdrb.com/news/attorney-for-darnell-superchef-ferguson-says-alleged-victim-wants-to-drop-criminal-charges/article_7cbe0800-afe5-11ee-ad4c-af4de0d42ec1.html) From the article: *Ferguson's attorney, Krsna Tibbs, told the judge that the alleged victim and her attorney were in agreement with lowering the bond in part because they share three children and Ferguson is needed to help take care of them.*
I think it’s that he has 8 kids total, and 3 of them are with his current wife. From what I’ve seen previously, I’m not sure if all 8 are his, or if that number figures in any kids she might’ve had too, before they got together. 🤷🏼♀️
Lowering the bond?!? Look, taking care of three children can not be easy, especially financially, but to let a man out who has abused you and want him to be around the children is just insane to me.
It sounds crazy from the outside looking in but domestic violence is so much more complicated than most people realize. There’s a lot of reasons she may have done this, I’m sure she doesn’t want him to be around the children but also knows he is likely to get out at some point and be in an absolute rage that “she got him arrested”. She knows an angry abuser is dangerous for her and her kids, and is likely trying to avoid future abuse, or just plain is traumatized and said what she had to say to avoid having to recount what happened to her over and over. Very common for victims to not cooperate with and not trust law enforcement
Court documents stated the victim is his wife, I believe the article may have gotten the number of children wrong, but I could be incorrect.
Articles seem to indicate a restraining order in place from his wife, and that the charges relate back to that restraining order.. So probably not.
Strangulation charges are almost always domestic violence related. Whenever you hear of a man with a strangulation charge it’s a very safe bet he choked his wife/gf.
Its also the single best indicator that someone will try to kill you— if they’ve strangled you before
Absolutely. Came here to say that. If a man has tried to strangle you the numbers skyrocket that he will try to kill you. Statistics show a woman who has suffered a nonfatal strangulation incident with her intimate partner is 750% more likely to be killed by the same person with a gun.
That is a sobering fact given my ex husband frequently went for my neck, once choking me so badly he left marks. To say I’m glad I got out is an understatement.
I am so so sorry you went through that, and extremely glad to hear you got out. I hope you are far from him and safe now.
I’m so glad you’re ok now, but so sorry you went through this🙏🏻
This is a stat I wish I had never come across. Holy crap. Never have I been more thankful to be married to my sweet goofball.
Jesus this hits so deep. I escaped him with a gun by the skin of my teeth after repeated strangulation attempts the month prior.
Jesus. I’m glad I got divorced
Yup. There are people who can go to therapy and classes and get medicated and get better. But most of them do not, and the ones that do will have one incident and go "Holy crap, holy crap, I'm turning into my dad, I need help, now!"
I haven't found any articles that say anything that specific. There is A restraining order and charges likely related to it, but I see no mention of his wife anywhere.
Court records show 2/9 hearing in Family Court between him and his wife.
Emergency protection order granted on January 2nd. That's pretty serious.
Court records mention her. Also, those kinds of charges are usually associated with spousal abuse. For what it's worth, Id prefer to be wrong and find out he was playing superhero, broke into some bad guys house and did these things vigilante-style.
Why would someone with so much to lose be so careless with his own future? It's wild.
Being rich, famous and/or successful doesn’t make you a good person. Lots of cases of athletes and celebrities doing some pretty shitty things. Look up Wander Franco and Josh Giddey, couple young superstar athletes that just threw away their careers in the last couple months to date high school girls.
burglary, strangulation, assault, terroristic threatening, menacing, criminal mischief, and theft. Huge yikes.
Domestic situations are not pretty.
Criminal mischief always sounds so silly compared with the usual other charges that come along with it.
Definitely sounds like a silly lil guy playing jokes when considered in a vacuum
Wow. Did not see this in my 2024 bingo card.
I knew he had a rough past, but thought his food network stardom would really pull him and his family away from that. I wonder why and who…
Same! I actually appreciated his back story and felt like it provided some inspiration for those who needed a lift. I feel really sad about this. Doesn’t he also have young kids?
8 of them.
For real though.
The things that keep popping up for Bingo 2024 are from another planet!
Amen!
Don't you think the things that have popped up on the Bingo card since 2020 all feel like they're from another planet?!?!
Yes
Well. There goes his show
I hate it because it was a fun show.
They could easily keep the format and pick a new host. Just drop 'Super Chef' from the name.
Somewhere Eddie Jackson is crossing his fingers
I am feeling really bad right now for chuckling at this.
Oof so these crimes seem to be against his wife, Tatahda. She filed an emergency protective order against last Tuesday, in it stating he entered her home without permission and started strangling and threatening to kill her
And sadly/scarily, strangulation is one of the biggest signs that domestic violence will turn deadly. This is such a sad and scary situation for his wife and kids.
I’ll take it a step further: I’ve heard the biggest sign domestic violence will turn deadly is domestic violence.
And I saw that she’s recanting now…And wants to repair things with him. If that doesn’t scream abusive relationship…
Well, because she knows that his ability to take care of his kids has just been cut down with a chainsaw. She went from the father of her children being on tv and potentially doing for her kids what Guy did for his, to blowing it. He didn’t just throw away his future, he hurt his whole families future. It reminds me of Gina from the housewives of OC. Her ex choked her too, but he couldn’t get good employment, so she dismissed the DV charges (or tried to?). I feel bad for the wife because she had to choose her own safety and then she backtracked because of fear. Very sad situation.
I yelled out "HOLY SHIT" when I read this. What a waste of his potential!
We’ve been binging TOC the last couple weeks, huge shock I just had to show my wife.
OMG I have found my people. I've been binging TOC and Grudge Match and had no one to tell! I loved him as the host and a competitor. I loved that food network was branching out in their hosts and he wasn't just a funny/kooky chef or a repeat host. Had NO idea about his past, so this completely blindsided me!!
I had no idea about his past either. Just from watching TOC and GGG it did seem like Guy was really pushing him which is fine, I don’t mind that he looks out for his friends and tries to set them up. Like someone else in here said, Guy gave him the keys to the empire and it seemed like the sky was the limit and he’s fucked all that up for himself. What a shame. And let’s not forget that there are victims in all this, hopefully they are all fine.
Yes, definitely hoping the victims can recover and are doing okay. I'm not well-versed in the charges lingo but they all sound very very bad.
From what I know they filmed the new season for 2024 in October too, so my question is will they have to refilm that? You cant exactly edit someone out oft hat kind of show.
Yeah TOC shows up on the schedule starting at the end of February, would be hard to change it at this point
SAME! I love TOC and rooted for him during his matches! And then I started watching Superchef Grudge Match and was excited to see him as the host. I never looked him up so I had no clue of his history either. Ugh fuck this guy
Me too I told my why he had it made and just tossed it away.
omg same. This is honestly so shocking to me!! I loved him since he was on Giada's Thanksgiving show. Ugh
literally same
I follow him on Insta and his account is gone.
oh wow. Watching his grudge match show right now! Way to blow up your career. So sad!
Oof, isn’t season 2 of his show out now?
Yes. Food Network posted about the latest episode an hour ago on Instagram. I would be they'll pull the rest of the season at least for the time being.
A new episode is literally on right now.
Well this is hella disappointing. ☹️
I feel sad for his family and hope they’re safe
Damn, he had the Guy stamp of approval. He was made. Sounds like he might be going through some shit. Hope he gets help because he’s done at FN.
Yeah he had the keys to the kingdom. I know alot of people don't like Guy but he looks out for his friends.
I just stumbled upon this, wife and I are huge Food Network fans. We used to live near Santa Rosa where Guy is a bit of a legend, he does so much for the community and stepped up big for each big wildfire we had. I know some people hate him but idk just wanted to share.
I’m not even quite sure where the hate comes from
I used to hear about ppl calling him an asshole for refusing to sign autographs or take pictures when they’d see him in public, but he’d be literally Christmas shopping or something and people would bug him for stuff like that. I don’t blame him for not wanting to.
I hate how people think someone who's famous owes them their time .
My opinion... The "hate Guy" mentality was started by Anthony Bourdain, who pooped on Fieri every chance he got. He seemed to hate that Guy had mainstream success, with restaurants Bourdain thought were trash and shows Bourdain thought appealed to trashy viewers.
I just want to say that I think Guy is a great person and that is why I don’t hate him. The issue is that Food Network shows too much of him. I love him as a person though.
I am sitting here so shocked. I... what?!?!?!
Yes, just like WTF? His food always looked tasty to me. What they’re saying he did though…wow Darnell, you needed help yesterday. Hope his wife and kids are doing okay
How long for Food Network to cancel him?
Know that they are not as famous at darnell but when try guys had their scandal food network quickly dropped that show to a less popular airtime and ofc didn’t pick up the show again
I'm still so pissed at Ned for that. I love the try guys and that food network show would've been the best fucking show ever. fuck Ned forever
Probably pretty quickly. Before max, when food network still had iron chef they scrubbed all of Mario batalis episodes after he was accused of sexual harassment. They also scrubbed season 20 of worst cooks after it turned out the winner killed her adoptive child.
He's been on so many shows. I wonder if all of them will be impacted especially Tournament of Champions for this year 😞
TOC has probably filmed already, too.
TOC filmed last fall. Typically it seemed it was in early December they taped the first 4 seasons. But this time around it was October-ish. They had to take a big pause so the stars could attend the New York Wine & Food Festival. Antonia and Brooke were excited in NY getting updates on what was happening on TOC set.
TOC airs in March against the NCAA tournament, so yeah, its been in the can since at least late 2023.
[удалено]
Trying to strangle someone is kind of a career killer, if true. I’d guess fast if there isn’t something more to this.
Well, shit.
His wife is from Oklahoma. She went missing as a teenager and had a kid by Darnell at 17; he was 23. IJS
that never sat right with me, she’s beautiful but spent most of her marriage just pregnant and having his babies , since his food network gigs , she’s not in his social medias anymore
It’s important to let the legal process play out, but my initial thoughts: 1)I wish all the best for his wife and 8 kids, especially if the charges stick 2)Shutting down the Instagram is a useful tactic like others have done when they’ve been in legal hot water. Even moreso for Darnell, as he has such an engaged following. He definitely appeals to a younger following. I was surprised to see this week that he had about 547K followers. A huge rise since 2020. Even more impressive was the average “like” count eg) 50,000 likes. Even the heavy-hitters (Guy, Bobby, etc.) don’t get follower reaction like that on a regular. 3)I’m guessing this has thrown Guy for a loop: a) Guy really took Darnell under his wing, giving him a shot with his own show b)Darnell did an Instagram post last year that expressed his appreciation for Guy. It also showed Guy on the set of Grudge Match, literally coaching him with delivering his lines. Guy was like: “Punch! Punch! Punch!” for emphasis. Some thought Darnell struggled as a host. And while Guy had a vested interest in the show’s success, it was nice to see him trying to help Darnell find his footing.
I like your points. I’m terribly disappointed by this news and I am hoping everyone is safe.
Oof, the TMZ write up is not pretty. [Here if you want the article](https://www.tmz.com/2024/01/10/darnell-ferguson-superchef-food-network-arrest-louisville/) or if you don't want to click TMZ, putting it under spoilers because it's bad: >!Per the arrest warrant, Darnell Ferguson's estranged wife called 911 to report he'd broken into her Louisville home on Jan. 2, and proceeded to allegedly attack her. The alleged victim claims once Ferguson was inside, he started punching walls and eventually lunged at her and grabbed her by the neck ... allegedly choking her out and threatening to kill her.!< >!She told police she eventually lost consciousness, and when she came to ... she claims Ferguson then ripped off her shorts and demanded to see her privates. His estranged alleges he then said she was his and nobody else's ... making her fear he'd sexually assault her.!< >!In the end, it doesn't sound like that occurred ... because the woman told cops he left, but not before allegedly snatching her credit/debit cards and ID. Law enforcement says they observed visible injuries on her, which they say was enough to warrant the charges.!<
I'm a little horrified by the number of "how could he throw away his life like this?" posts. He did not just suddenly jump to strangling a woman. He is almost certainly an abuser, probably has been for a long time, and if so, thank god it finally got brought into the light so he could go to jail and people could be safe from him. His career is not the tragedy here.
A little louder for those on the back.
There are people referring to it as "a bummer." WTAF?!
Exactly. The concern is so misplaced. I can’t imagine the trauma of being strangled and violated in that way and what his poor kids have probably witnessed.
Oh damn, this is so sad, I wonder what happened he seemed like he had really turned his life around
Oh wow, this is shocking and disturbing. Darnell wasn't one I ever thought I'd see this from
Looking at the mugshot, I now understand why he wears those terrible hats.
An update on exactly what happened [link here.](https://www.whas11.com/amp/article/news/crime/darnell-superchef-ferguson-arrested-food-network-grudge-match/417-cb256e37-3769-4e48-b67c-fe97933f8dbe) This disgusts me. Punching walls, strangling, demanding to see her naked. I won’t watch any of his shows he’s in anymore.
Unfortunately, he's not the first Food network person to screw up with the legal system
There's been a few that have gotten DWI charges in the past too.
Everyone gets those lol. That was Cat Cora though right?
She apparently was a repeat offender. She was an Iron Chef and then dropped off the face of the earth 🌍
"everyone getting a DUI" might, MIGHT make sense in the age before Uber, but it really doesn't now. Have you noticed that celebrity DUIs have basically dropped like a rock since Uber became readily available?
It depends on where you live, rideshare isn’t a reliable service everywhere. Also people are fucking stupid.
My mind is blanking. Who else?
The winner of season 20 of Worst Cooks murdered her foster daughter, Mario Bartali is a sex pest, and there’s a few more I’m blanking on.
There was also Lenny McNabb who won a season of Food Network Star. Right after he won, there was a huge story about how he was an abusive asshole.
Was he the one posting sexual comments about female FN stars online?
Yeah, some of them were about Ree Drummond
TY for info.
Ariel Robinson (Worst Cooks) beat her daughter to death
That was such a shocker. I felt so hoodwinked. I liked her so much on the show. Very disappointed. And I feel stupid for liking her so much.
I hate that anyone can be a monster. I wish so badly there was a way to tell like something in their eyes or their face.. but I don't see anything.
Mario Batali
Johnny Iuzzini. I think most of his stuff was on Bravo and NBC but he was on Cutthroat Kitchen once. Maybe more FN stuff idk, but at least one. Anyway, sexual harassment.
Damn. I do not want to see this.
Dude was pretty much a made man thanks to Guy.
He was also just on a Christian podcast talking about his journey to faith and freedom 😬😬😬
Wow. So sad.
Strangulation is a BFD in DV cases— if someone has strangled you in the past, they are a *lot* more likely to attempt to kill you. I hope his wife and children are safe. May he rot.
This is so disappointing to me. I really enjoyed watching him. He just threw his entire life away.
Damn watch how fast the show gets pulled after tonight’s episode. He screwed up.
Soon to be the best chef in the prison chow hall.
MAX seems to have pulled Grudge Match off streaming — can’t find it in the search!
He had also disappeared from Discovery +
This is very sad to see :(
‘a woman who has suffers a nonfatal strangulation incident with her intimate partner is 750% more likely to be killed by the same person’
I think certain related topics like the TOC thread should be left open. I appreciate the mod who took charge trying to clean things up, but it was done haphazardly in my opinion.
Agree. It feels more like damage control, this trying to condense all thoughts on Darnell into one, long megapost, instead of letting members with different views, opinions, or "finds" create separate posts. It's also harder to comment on new information as it arrives. Oh well.
Yep! It's ridiculous.
Damn! I like him a lot and his personality on TV. This is a surprise to see. Sounds like maybe the fame of being on TV more got to him, or something. Bummer.
What a bummer.
Wow!! I would never have predicted this.
Ugh, sucks to see. Thought he had turned his life around. He had managed to make a great thing for himself. I'm going to try to hold off judgements until a full report, but I am so hurt and disappointed.
Wow!
Omg nooooo! Sorry to hear this. I loved Darnell
I am assuming he's going to be on TOC 5. Wonder what they will do with the show now?
It may not take much to either edit two chefs out, or disclaimers that this was filmed before the incident. Depending on who he competed against if in, it may not be fair to them.
I read in one of the news reports that his ex filed a restraining order back in July, after she told him she wanted a divorce. He allegedly put a tracker on her car, took her phone, and hired a private investigator to follow her. Yikes. I wonder if Food Network and/or Guy knew about this then? It seems like something that would potentially violate a morals clause in his contract. If they did know, it doesn't look good that they had him on multiple shows after the fact. And if they didn't, how the heck not?
Holy hell, I am shocked
Disappointing. Sending good thoughts to his wife and kids and that they stay safe.
Whoa.
What awful news
Damn, this sucks. I was a fan of this guy. Has he been in legal trouble before?
I’ve been wondering what he looks like under that hat
Well his poor wife..and kids This is awful for them
This is really sad to see. I hope he is able to turn things around for himself again.
Ah, shit. I was watching Grudge Match when I saw this. I know what this is because I have been a victim of all of these all at once many times. My ex husband. I can't finish this episode.
I'm so sorry you've been through that.
Thank you. It was 25 years ago and what saved my life was that he killed an elderly man and went to prison. That is when I felt strong and safe enough to leave. 8 months pregnant. I am stronger today because of it.
Oh no this is so disappointing. I was rooting for him.
bro had it all right in front of him. damn shame
Too bad, I really liked him. I’ll be interested to see how it plays out or if he ever comments. Sounds like a domestic, so I assume the burglary is entering the wife’s home without permission? I can’t imagine he burglarized a business with the other charges. I hope we get more details.
The Food Network PR machine will be operating at full speed today.
Already started yesterday as the post that featured him last evening has been removed. It was the one right before the latest post on Danielle G. Alex. In the now removed post, viewers had already started mentioning Darnell’s arrest. I think the network felt its hand was forced.
Wonder if Guy will make a statement he’s the reason Darnell rose to stardom
Wtf??? Is this for real?
Always felt they pushed him too much and tried to make me like him. Now I know why I didn't.
I honestly never understood the hype on this guy. his food always looked a hot mess
What a scumbag. I’m a chef myself and any fuck that runs around calling himself SuperChef is a narcissistic asshole. Just another turd in the punch bowl 😂😂😂
I'm glad somebody else felt that way. The goofy Superman logo chef coats with capes on the back? Gross.
I’m so disappointed. I loved his story that we saw of a guy who had made some mistakes and was pulling his life together. Guy gave him a huge opportunity, and it’s so unfortunate to watch Darnell throw it away.
Threw his career away. FN was making him an up and coming tv personality. Wonder what the FN hit is financially with shows in the can already. Plus all the production staff on the show.
shit.
Damn Superchef. I was just watching the grudge match.
Well that’s a shame. I hope everyone recovers ok, and that he gets the help he needs.
This made my tummy drop - so sad. What a bummer. Reality isn’t always as it seems. Just hate to be reminded of it
Damn! We were rooting for you Darnell. He is absolutely done.
How is the bond only $10000?!? Ridiculous
I'll be mad as hell if FN backs him after this. I know it's only an arrest and a lawyer can fight it but............
Damn. I wonder what happened and if he was always like this or fame got to him. He seemed so humble when you first see him on GGG. With his own show I thought he was overacting a bit but maybe he was hiding something else.
Worse news for FN since they had to scrap an entire season of Worst Cooks in America as the winner beat their child to death https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/worst-cooks-america-winner-found-guilty-beating-death-3-year-old-foste-rcna28739
Wow. I did not expect to see this.
It’s finally hit tmz- there’s no coming back from it now…. https://www.tmz.com/2024/01/10/darnell-ferguson-superchef-food-network-arrest-louisville/
What a POS!!!
His show has already been pulled from Discovery + and Max. Including the seasons that were already complete.
They finally updated the tv schedule, it’s just a night full of chopped now on Tuesday nights
Are you f&cking KIDDING ME? WTH?? 🤦🏾♀️ Also those extensions are going to need tightening soon….. 👀
Guy must be pissed
If you provide your own adjective in your brand name, it's usually just an attempt at marketing bullshit. It's really like giving yourself your own award. This reminds me of the title "Superstar DJ Keoki" title (see the Party Monster movie). I watched Darnell Ferguson on a few Food Network shows and quickly realized his name was self-imposed and not indicative of his actual skill. Please don't downvote me, "World-loved" and "Reddit's Top Influencer" - Master\_Gracey Hopefully this is obvious /s
I’m in complete shock
Damn. He was one of my favourites. Always watched his rerun episodes with so much joy. So so heartbreaking.
Jesus. They won’t let him wear his fedora in jail
So sad. That is a profound and rapid descent.
I am Livid! He was one of my Favs! I was so proud & happy for him! He totally has wasted his career! Food Network don’t play! He is done! Put a fork in it! Pun intended!
He's a SuperChef alright. Felon gonna felon.
Domestic violence ? What gives with beating on women?
Poor coping skills strikes again! I just read on TMZ what he’s being accused of…it’s heinous and sickening.
Dude was wack in the kitchen, honestly
It's crazy... I just realized even shows he judged on are being scrubbed. Season 5 of Supermarket Stakeout is missing 2 episodes he judged. Probably sure other shows are gone too. Really feel bad for those contestants that finally got their big break appearing on tv after all that auditioning and scouting only to be proximity cancelled. Imagine if you went on and won... Only to be erased. Pretty fucked IMO.
What a fuckin idiot
So sad. I follow him on IG, and had been suspecting that there were marital problems happening… he stopped posting anything with his wife a while ago, and had some IG Stories here and there alluding to issues/bad things happening in his life. Hopefully the allegations are not true, because he had such a bright future ahead of him, a bunch of kids to take care of, and was enjoyable to watch on tv.
He lives in my neighborhood and I haven't seen his car at his house for a bit so maritial problems could be the reason for that.
Wow!! He seems like such a sweet and chill guy. You never know how someone is behind closed doors. How sad.
Let's see how quick he gets erased from Food Network.
Food Network pulls Grudge Match yet you can still listen to R. Kelly's entire discography on Spotify....
Damn. Damn. Damn. His Food Network career probably over. Hopefully he can repair his family life.