TV chef, flavortown enthusiast, and flame lover extraordinaire Guy Fieri is currently being raked over the coals online for shaking notorious criminal Donald J. Trump’s hand, instead of screaming in his face what a disgrace he is (or snubbing him, as many others have done). While we’re the first to drag the former Apprentice host and noted Stormy Daniels fan (because he is a disgrace, and because he makes it so damn easy), it does seem a bit unfair to subject Fieri to an online hate campaign given that he’s one of the few genuinely self-made big names on television, is famously brilliant to work with and nice on set, and has done more for independent restaurants since COVID than most big-name chefs will manage in their lifetime. But that’s not all: importantly, as per a resurfaced interview, it turns out he also helped Melissa McCarthy to produce one of her most iconic and beloved performances.
A 2011 interview that McCarthy did with Conan O’Brien has been doing the rounds amidst all the Fieri hubbub of the past couple of days, and in it we get a startling glimpse into how the comedic actress came to form her celebrated character in the 2011 smash hit Bridesmaids. Speaking to the famous late-night television host, McCarthy shared her first impressions upon reading the part of Megan, the raunchy, foul-mouthed future sister-in-law to Maya Rudolph’s character:
“Really, when I first read it, the first person that I thought of was Guy Fieri from the Food Network. I wanted to do the shirt, the Kangol. Every scene I would have my glasses on the back of my head.”
Fieri has long been known for his “out there” on-screen personality, and as much as he seems to be a gentle giant off set, there’s no doubting that on his shows he certainly has some similarities with the overly friendly Megan. This is especially true of his exuberrance, lack of on-screen self awareness, and generally irritating asides (even if his heart seems to be in the right place, albeit with the caveat that he’s happy to slap skin with some odious types).
Sadly, McCarthy’s attempts to channel the television chef had their wings clipped by producers:
“I tried for a long time to convince them to let me wear short, white, spiky hair, and they were like, ‘You can’t actually be Guy Fieri.’ Cut it off at some point!”
Considering how much she smashed the performance out of the park, perhaps it’s for the best that the former Gilmore Girls star and multiple-time SNL host was stopped before her excitement got the best of production. After all, can you imagine her getting that sweet Oscar nomination if her character had been wearing Fieri’s famous flames? As great as it would have been, we’re pretty happy with the way Bridesmaids turned out, and McCarthy probably is too. If it had transpired, though, we’re sure Fieri would have seen the funny side of it all, unlike his current predicament, which has seen his reputation taking a decidedly nasty hit.