Chef Andrew Zimmern, A Gay Supporter, Responsible For His Failed Married Life

A four-time James Beard Award-winning television personality, chef, and culinary adventurer, Andrew Zimmern is known for hosting the Travel Channel's popular show Bizzare Foods with Andrew Zimmern.

But back in his early adulthood days, he was a severe drug-addicted homeless man living in an abandoned building in Manhattan. However, he became sober after he got married.

Although his married life helped him to sober up, his marriage dissolved after years of togetherness, for which he blames himself.

Failed Married Life With His Wife? 

As the saying goes, the bed isn't always full of flowers, and the chef can attest to this because he, too, had a lovely marriage that failed.

Through their shared interest in cooking, the TV personality met his then-wife, Rishia Haas, in Minneapolis. On December 26th, 2002, the pair tied the knot. Noah, their teen son, was born in Monterey, California, and they raised him alongside. 

Andrew Zimmern and his wife, Rishia Haas, attend the Top Dog on 17 October 2015 (Photo: Zimbio.com)

Years before their marriage, Zimmern struggled with his addiction, rebuilding his life after years of drug abuse. Similarly, his then-wife, too, held a few jobs at known drug and alcohol treatment facilities, which proved to be quite beneficial and pleasant for him in his recovery.

After 16 years of marriage, even though the pair had a lot in common, things tragically ended when they made official their break in 2018, which has now been confirmed in divorce. The divorce was challenging but fair, and according to the chef, he bears full responsibility for the separation.

He told The New York Times that calling the divorce was his fault for not being present, which is reasonable given his demanding media work.

“I want to be the best dad and the best ex I can be"

Despite the split, Zimmern continues to post pictures of his ex-wife and kid on social media. No way is he shy to show what they mean to him!

Andrew Zimmern with his son, Noah on November 29, 2019 (Photo: Andrew Zimmern's Instagram)

He characterized Rishia of gold standards on Instagram, giving all of us a flavor of how much he admires her. On Mother's Day, he posted a photo with a caption;

And then there is @therishia , the bravest mom I know. Full stop. She walks through fires for our son, conflagrations that no one else can even go near, and often times nobody but her even smells the smoke!

It's for sure that the chef has realized his mistakes and is looking forward to becoming a better person. 

Andrew Zimmern, An Ally: Gay Sentiments Derived From Parents

In his heart, the 60-year-old crafts a peaceful space for gay men. Because his biological parents divorced when he was a kid, the chef was adopted by a gay couple. He explained how he grew up with his gay parents in a 2014 chat with Eater.

On June 13, 2014, the culinary explorer thanked his two fathers for all the love and care he received as a child in an Instagram post. He also expressed his gratitude to his fathers for their 47 years of marriage and stated that he hoped for every child to have loving parents like his.

Andrew's gay fathers have been together for 47 years (Photo: Andrew Zimmern's Instagram)

Despite being straight, he not only adores and supports gays, but he gets upset when others condemn the alternative lifestyle. For example, in 2017, when a Kentucky judge denied an adoption petition from a same-sex couple, he was against it. The court initially stated that having a kid raised by a gay person was not in the child’s best interests.

Deeply offended by the event, Zimmern rushed to Facebook to tell his side of the tale, even calling the judge an "imbecile" for his views. He went on to say that gay parents were preferable to straight parents who were both neglectful and abusive.

Another example would be when he shared a tweet on 28 Jan 2018, where he slammed critics for making unfair and sexist statements about same-sex couples.

Andrew Zimmern slamming the hate tweet (Photo Credits: Andrew Zimmern's Twitter) 

Know More About The Food Adventurer Andrew Zimmern

Andrew Zimmern was born on July 4, 1961, and is regarded as one of the most prominent celebrity chefs in the world.

The chef was born and raised in a Jewish household in New York City. He and his two dads used to go to James Beard's renowned Christmas and Sunday open houses as kids, and he credits Beard's generosity for his early culinary ambitions.

He has a long list of literary and cooking events under his name, all to research and encourage cultural acceptance, tolerance, and understanding via cuisine. He also has Andrew Zimmern Cooks, a YouTube channel where he broadcasts a food web series. Finally, he has his own brand of spice mixes and spices, which he invented and sells through Badia Spices.

Andrew Scott Zimmern is a chef, writer, teacher, and justice campaigner from the United States with a net worth of $14 million. He made his fortune as the co-creator, host, and consultant producer of his television show Bizarre Foods.