On Jan. 2, 2024, a user on X posted, "Guy Fieri takes a bold step, telling Whoopi Goldberg 'You're not welcome here' and escorting her out of his restaurant." The post included photos of the celebrity chef and co-host of "The View," with a caption that claimed, "Guy Fieri Throws Whoopi Goldberg Out of His Restaurant."
By the following day, the post had been reposted more than 4,000 times and received over 31,000 likes.
The X post appeared to be inspired by a similar rumor that circulated months earlier. In October 2023, multiple Facebook pages published posts with a similar claim: that Fieri had supposedly "banned" Goldberg from his restaurants. Those posts also included images of the celebrities with the caption: "'She's Toxic': Guy Fieri Bans Whoopi Goldberg From His Restaurants."
For example, one Facebook post looked like this:
Those posts included links to an article with a headline about Fieri supposedly banning Goldberg from his restaurants. That article was republished on several other websites, including wonderfuldreama.life, newzdiscover.com and faithhopel.info, and began as follows:
The culinary world is in a tailspin, as the larger-than-life Food Network star, Guy Fieri, has taken a bold step that has left the world as shocked as a raw steak on a hot grill. His target? None other than outspoken talk show host and actress, Whoopi Goldberg. His charge? According to the celebrity chef, she’s “toxic” – a term usually reserved for questionable leftovers or overripe cheeses.
The saga began on a seemingly normal Tuesday. Fieri, host of “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” took to Twitter with an announcement that quickly fired up social media. In a tweet as spicy as his signature Atomic Buffalo Wings, Fieri declared, “In the interests of keeping my diners, drive-ins, and dives chill, Whoopi Goldberg is no longer welcome. #She’sToxic.”
Naturally, the tweet exploded faster than popcorn in a hot pan. The food industry, known for its fair share of feuds and fiascos, was left picking its collective jaw off the floor. After all, who bans a celebrity from their restaurant, let alone all their restaurants?
However, these claims about Fieri banning Goldberg from his restaurants, or kicking her out of one, were not true. The above-transcribed article originated in July 2023 on SpaceXMania.com, a website that describes some of its output as being satirical in nature, both on its "About Us" page and as a label above articles. The websites and social media posts that later reposted the story included no such "satire" labels.
Multiple commenters under the Facebook posts, as well as the January 2024 X post, appeared to believe the story was true.
"Get rid of her!," one Facebook user said, referring to Goldberg.
"I don’t blame him one bit! I don’t want her anywhere near me!," a different person commented.
"She is toxic – good idea to ban her from your restaurants," another user remarked.
For further reading, we previously reported on a similar rumor that claimed Fieri had canceled country star Garth Brooks' reservation at one of his restaurants.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.