Reports: Bobby Flay leaving Food Network after 27 years

Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Celebrity chef Bobby Flay is leaving the Food Network after 27 years, according to multiple media outlets.

Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline reported that contract negotiations between the two parties have broken down and Flay plans to exit at the end of 2021.

Flay's representatives and the cable network declined to comment on Thursday night's stories.

The restaurateur and cookbook author has been at the Food Network since the channel began in 1994.

Over the years, he has hosted or appeared on the shows Grillin' and Chillin,' Beat Bobby Flay, Brunch at Bobby's, Chopped, Iron Chef America, Worst Cooks in America, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, The Next Food Network Star, The Flay List, The Throwdown! with Bobby Flay and Boy Meats Grill.

Flay became the first TV chef honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015.

The Food Network inked a new deal with another of its culinary titans, Guy Fieri, in May.

The pact pays him in the high eight figures to remain on the channel through at least 2024.