Guy Fieri’s sons appear ready to meet their father’s challenge: earn two degrees before they can lay claim to any future inheritance.
The 55-year-old Food Network star, whose fortune is estimated at between $70 million and $100 million, set off a wave of online reaction this week after saying he does not intend to leave money to his children, Hunter, 27, and Ryder, 17, unless they complete a pair of degrees.
But rather than pushing back against the condition, a source close to Fieri told DailyMail.com exclusively that his sons are motivated by the expectation and want to prove they are worthy of what he has built when the time comes.
The insider said Hunter and Ryder are both focused on demonstrating a strong work ethic and building their own paths through ambition and persistence, adding that they have no interest in being seen as “nepo babies.”
Guy Fieri’s sons are reportedly prepared to pursue two degrees to qualify for their father’s inheritance
The celebrity chef recently said his children will not receive money from his will unless they earn two degrees
“Challenge accepted,” the source said, describing the attitude Hunter and Ryder have long had as they work to make their father proud.
“Guy is a great dad and has taught them well,” the insider added, saying he would be even prouder once his children complete their educations.
‘Hunter and Ryder are still young and trying to carve their path. They don’t ever want to be looked at as nepo babies, they want to be deserving of what they get.
‘They are perfectly fine and determined with working hard for themselves and making a name for themselves through hard work.’
The insider continued: ‘They want to prove to their parents that they have the discipline to achieve the dreams they have for themselves.
‘Hunter and Ryder are blessed, in a good place and know that everything will fall into place. That is the only option on the table.’
DailyMail.com has contacted a spokesperson for Guy for comment.
Guy, who is the host of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, as well as a restaurateur, shares his two sons with his spouse Lori, 52, and has helped raise his nephew Jules, 22, since his sister Morgan’s death of metastatic melanoma in February of 2011.
Talking about the challenge he’s set his sons in order to bag his inheritance, he said: ‘Shaq said it best: Shaq said, “If you want this cheese, you got to get to two degrees,”‘ the Columbus, Ohio native said. ‘Well, my two degrees mean, you know, postgraduate.’
Hunter, 27, and Ryder, 17, are eager to make their dad Guy proud and want to be deserving of his fortune when his time eventually comes
Guy’s sons are determined to show they are capable of hard work and want to carve out futures for themselves, a source has claimed
‘I’ve told them the same thing my dad told me,’ Guy said. ‘My dad says, “When I die, you can expect that I’m going to die broke, and you’re going to be paying for the funeral.”
‘And I told my boys, “None of this that we’ve been … that I’ve been building are you going to get unless you come and take it from me.”‘
Guy said his son Ryder, who is currently in his last year of high school, is telling him, ‘Dad, this is so unfair. I haven’t even gone to college yet, and you’re already pushing that I’ve got to get an MBA? Can I just get through college?’
Hunter is currently working toward a master’s degree in business at the University of Miami, Fieri said.
Guy credited his nephew Jules for seeking a higher education as he attends college in Southern California.
The celeb chef and his younger son Ryder were pictured at the NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City this past February
Guy recently inked a $100 million three-year pact with Food Network last month
‘Jules is in the music industry down in LA,’ Fieri said. ‘He’s in the law program at Loyola Marymount right now.
‘If you’re going to be a big-time entertainment agent, you need to have that law background. So, he’s doing that.’
Guy inked a $100 million three-year pact with Food Network last month, according to Variety.
‘I’m so appreciative,’ he said of the new contract. ‘I really feel fortunate. I started at the Food Network almost 17, 18 years ago. And never thought anything like this was ever coming my way.’
Guy said when he started his career, he ‘just wanted to be a cook,’ ‘to own my own restaurant’ and to ‘be a great dad.
‘And that was it. That’s all I really wanted I had aspirations of all kinds of things, but to think that this has happened?’
