Jamie Oliver’s ‘pathetic’ decade-long beef with Gordon Ramsay is over now

Personally, I don’t really like Jamie Oliver OR Gordon Ramsay. I think Jamie is a judgy bitch and I think Gordon is an abusive rage monster. But that’s before I even knew that Jamie and Gordon have apparently been engaged in some deep boy drama for years. How did I not know this? I follow most of the petty beefs between American chefs, I guess it didn’t occur to me that British chefs probably have petty beefs too. Well, People Magazine had an exhaustive (and funny) story of Jamie and Gordon’s history of sh-t talking, and apparently Jamie is now saying that he’s done with it and he doesn’t want to boyfight anymore.

Have infamous rivals Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay (who has not just a reputation for being a temperamental, scathing critic, but an entire show dedicated to that premise) finally put an end to their feud? Oliver, at the very least, thinks it’s time to make nice. In a new interview with Woman’s Day the British chef spoke out against their well-publicized verbal sparring matches.

“Gordon has been fairly horrible to me over the years and I did used to bite. Now I just shut up and take it. A bit of drama is always good for some PR,” he said. Oliver’s new attitude about his arch-enemy would put to bed public arguments that go all the way back to 2009, when Oliver responded to comments Ramsay made about the appearance of the Australian television host, saying “It’s never good to criticize a woman, especially when they’re loved by their country and you do it on national television.”

A month later, Ramsay had some harsh words for Oliver, nicknaming his competitor the “one-pot wonder.” Even then, he seemed to imply that their war of words was little more than a ploy to get both of them some media attention, and that he doesn’t take it seriously.

“But competition is healthy. It’s good to have that kind of rivalry,” he said. After that, tempers seemed to settle between the pair, but in early 2010, Ramsay quipped to TMZ that the last time he complained about a meal was at Oliver’s restaurant. Five years later, Ramsay was still instigating arguments with Oliver, this time criticizing Oliver for not showing up the opening one of one of his own restaurants in Hong Kong.

“[Ramsay] is deeply jealous and can’t quite work out why I do what I do and why he can’t do that. He is too busy shouting and screaming and making our industry look like a bunch of shouters and screamers,” Oliver responded at the time.

Oliver now hopes to put all that nastiness behind them.

“Our kids are around the same age and they don’t need to see their dads slagging each other off. It’s pathetic,” he said in the new interview.

[From People]

It IS sort of pathetic, but not for the reason Jamie Oliver says. It’s pathetic because… this is what constitutes a British chef beef? This stuff is so… boring. Oooh, you cook in a crockpot! Well, you were mean to a woman! Well, you should have gone to your restaurant opening! Well, you shout too much! Come on. Where’s the beef?!?!? Here in America, we’ve got Anthony Bourdain devoting years of his life to mocking Paula Deen and Guy Fieri. We’ve got Giada de Laurentiis making Nicole Kidman her new nemesis. We’ve got Bobby Flay… being Bobby Flay (he’s really shady, what can I say?). Britain deserves a higher quality of drama from their celebrity chefs.

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Jamie Oliver at BBC Radio 2

Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.

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19 Responses to “Jamie Oliver’s ‘pathetic’ decade-long beef with Gordon Ramsay is over now”

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  1. Erinn says:

    I can’t stand Jamie. I find him incredibly annoying, and he has ridiculous, mullety hair.

    Ramsay I can see a separation of persona and real life when I see him on talk shows, or dealing with his family, or the kids that are competing. Probably still a short fused kind of guy, but at the same time he knows being a sweetheart isn’t what is going to keep his show on the air.

    • Stacy says:

      +1,000,000
      Even Ramsey’s difference in his persona between like versions of his shows (UK version versus US version of Kitchen Nightmares or Hell’s Kitchen versus Master Chef Junior amazed me. He acts like that when the ratings warrant it.

    • Sisi says:

      Gordon Ramsays reddit Ama interviews are some of the best. He’s great fun while talking to regular folk.

  2. Alp says:

    “Giada de Laurentiis making Nicole Kidman her new nemesis” LOL
    I say bring on the drama. Honestly did not know there was a fued ☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️

  3. Kata says:

    What did he say about the Australian woman? His unpleasant persona always struck me as put on for the cameras, bu maybe it isn’t.

  4. MC2 says:

    Unbutton the jacket for god’s sake! I did like Jamie Oliver’s show about school lunches in America & how we eat. I’ll never forget the family that fried everything…….everything.

    • LWithHearts says:

      He made really weird offensive sexual jokes about a tv journalist …Tracy (forget surname but look up Tracy Current Affair Gordon Ramsay) I think he super imposed her face on a pigs body in a picture among other things. It was actually very crass and spoke volumes to his attitudes to women at that time.

    • Tata says:

      Really? I found Jamie Oliver elitist as hell on his food special…

  5. Jaded says:

    They’re both a pair of unrelenting, self-important wankers. Gave up watching either of them a LONGGGGG time ago. Give me some Lidia Bastianich or Rick Bayless – no drama, just great food.

  6. ChocoChipDstryr says:

    Jamie Oliver looks like he smells sweaty – not a clean, slightly perspiring sweaty, but a ‘I’ve been lounging around in wet workout clothes’ sweaty.

  7. Lama Bean says:

    Why does Jamie Oliver have a black eye?

  8. Tiffany says:

    Two men who have managed to have extremely successful careers in food (which is difficult to do and maintain) hate each other and have not gone out of their way to sabotage the others career.

    Good lord, this is basic.

  9. pinetree13 says:

    From all reports I’ve read Gordon Ramsay is actually super sweet in real life and only plays the “angry man character” for his shows.
    I like Jamie Oliver but from what I read he was the one who started the feud by saying he was better than Ramsay because he sells more cook books than Ramsay does or something of that nature (again petty).

    Totally off topic but I’ve always wondered what is wrong with Jamie and his wife that they give their kids the WORST and most RIDICULOUS NAMES. Seriously. Petal Rainbow, Buddy Bear, etc. Just awful, awful names. Like the names you would choose for your stuffed animals when you were 5.

    • Bee says:

      Same, my understanding is that he is a nice guy in person. I think, ultimately, on TV Gordon Ramsay is acting. I’m a sucker for his shows, he’s entertaining as hell, whereas Jamie Oliver puts me to sleep with his lovely jubbly stuff. There is room for both these guys, but just not on my TV.

  10. laur says:

    I used to REALLY fancy Gordon Ramsay about 10 years ago when I was like 20 and he was on British tv aaaaall the time. The shame! (but I still would lol)

  11. Pancake Bacon says:

    Gordon Ramsay will only bust out his “angry man character” when the people he is helping (on Kitchen Nightmares) or instructing to be chefs (on Hell’s Kitchen) are ignoring his instruction or refute his help. The restaurant business is super tough, and not many restos endure, and poor service and bad food certainly can’t help. Otherwise, if you see Gordon on the more instructional shows he does, it is clear he is an excellent chef and he is sincerely excited for you, the viewer, to do it well. I’ve tried some of his recipes, and they turn out delicious!

    Sadly, whenever I’ve tried a Jamie Oliver recipe, it turns out wrong.

    Lastly, the Ramsay-Oliver feud had some of its beginnings because Ramsay didn’t consider Oliver a “chef.” At that time, Oliver didn’t even have a restaurant, or worked in any resto of note. He was “pretty” face who had a cooking show.

    • Chris Christie's Belt says:

      He berated his kitchen staff and fired a guy for drinking water in front of customers when the AC was out and it got to 130 in the kitchen. That is an illegal working condition by the way.

  12. raincoaster says:

    Ramsay is genuinely terrible. He worked with a friend of mine for six months at Maxime’s and never learned his name. Just called him “the fookin paddy” the whole time.