Gordon Ramsay Made $38 Million Last Year, Is The Top Earning Chef In America

Oh for the love of…

With 24 restaurants around the world, 11 Michelin stars, numerous cookbooks, and TV shows, Gordon Ramsay is the top earning chef in the United States, with an estimated global income of $38 million, according to a new list by Forbes.com.

Scottish-born Ramsey, known to U.S. television audiences for his acerbic comments on “Master Chef” and “Hell’s Kitchen”, surpassed Rachael Ray, who earned an estimated $25 million for the year ending June 2012 from her TV show, magazine and cookbooks. [Reuters]

Guh. Gordon Ramsay is terrible. Terrible. He may be a gifted chef, fine, but his empire isn’t based on his ability to whip up a delicious seafood thermidor or keep a soufflé from collapsing. The vast majority of his wealth comes from the four shows — FOUR SHOWS — where he turns his face the color of a strawberry and berates fellow grown-ups like they’re a group of unruly 8-year-olds. I cannot for the life of me see the allure of this. Between Gordon Ramsay and Simon Cowell, British people have created a lucrative industry out of traversing the Atlantic and insulting Americans to our faces for the enjoyment of millions of people around the world. If the Founding Fathers were alive today, after we explained the concept of television to them, they would be livid.

Other notable TV chefs on the list include Wolfgang Puck ($20 million), Paula Deen ($17 million), Mario Batali ($13 million), and Bobby Flay ($9 million). Also, please consider this your periodic reminder that Guy Fieri, the 10th highest earning chef in America ($8 million), looks like Bowser from Super Mario Bros.

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