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Celebrity chef, TV personality, and restauranteur Bobby Flay appears to be very happy in his relationship with girlfriend Christina Perez. But back in 2009, Bobby was still with his third wife, Stephanie March. While Stephanie has said that her relationship with the icon was filled with drama, cheating, and general unhappiness, they appeared untied when they visited the SiriusXM studios.
While Bobby and Stephanie didn't run into the self-proclaimed King Of All Media, Howard Stern, at the satellite radio company that he made famous, they did come across one of his staffers. And the encounter was both disturbing and totally offensive to Bobby and Stephanie. Here's what happened...
6 Who Is Bobby Flay's Ex-Wife?
Bobby Flay has been married three times. He was first married to Debra Ponzek, another chef, to who he got engaged after just a few weeks of knowing. Their relationship was quick and lasted only two years. Following this, Bobby got married and had a daughter with Kate Connelly, who cohosted Robin Leach Talking Food on the Food Network. A few years after their divorce, Bobby met and married Stephanie March.
Stephanie is an actor best known for her role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. While they were happy for a time, their ten-year marriage came to a dramatic end in 2015. According to Page Six, Stephanie alleged that Bobby cheated on her with his assistant as well as Mad Men star January Jones. On top of this, the two constantly had arguments about him not being present at important parts of her life and battled over various financial issues.
5 Why Were Bobby Flay And Stephanie March On The Howard Stern Show?
Technically, Bobby Flay and Stephanie March weren't on The Howard Stern Show. But they were in the SiriusXM studio lobby in New York City. They were clearly there for another interview or to conduct business of some kind. But soon they were taken into The Howard Stern Studio offices by staffer Sal Governale.
Sal was a huge Bobby Flay fan from his various shows, restaurants, and Iron Chef America. So as soon as he spotted Bobby in the lobby, he offered him a tour. Bobby and Stephanie accepted and were taken into the private offices at The Stern Show. It was here that Sal gave Bobby a compliment that ended up insulting both the celebrity chef and his now ex-wife.
4 Who Is Sal Governale?
Sal Governale is known for being offensive. In fact, he may just be the most offensive staffer on The Howard Stern Show. As Howard often says, Sal tends to get away with it because he's "too stupid" to realize that he's saying or doing the wrong thing. This kind of makes him likable. But mostly fans just adore hearing about the outlandish and inappropriate things he does and says.
Hired initially to make phony phone calls with Richard Christy, Sal's role on The Howard Stern Show has grown over the past two decades. He had taken on both writing and producing roles on the show and had therefore earned a pretty decent salary.
3 What Did Sal Governale Say To Bobby Flay And His Wife?
While on The Howard Stern Wrap-Up Show in 2009, Sal admitted that he said "a few things" that he shouldn't have in front of Bobby Flay's wife.
"Well, I ate at his restaurant, and he was there with his wife, who is beautiful," Sal said. Then he explained how he compared the taste of Bobby's burgers to a specific sexual act that we can't mention here. "I said, 'How can I put this, well, there's a woman here, but you can imagine what I'm talking about in my mouth.'"
Sal claimed that Bobby was absolutely "shocked" by his comment. "It was pretty awkward," Sal admitted. "But I thought, 'How can I express my love for his burger in a way that only a man can relate to.'"
2 Howard Stern's Response To Sal Insulting Bobby And Stephanie
"First of all, Sal is such a f****** pervert," Howard said on the radio the next day after the wrap-up show. There's no doubt about it, the radio legend was clearly unhappy with his staffer's behavior. On top of this, he didn't understand the logic behind Sal's comparison. "If a hamburger tasted like [the thing Sal compared it to] the guy would be out of business."
Howard's ex-co-host, Artie Lange, who was known for being edgy, claimed that Sal's comment was "one of the most inappropriate things" he's ever heard in his life. Especially given that it was not only insulting to the chef but offensive to his wife.
Sal's defense was that he showed some restraint. The "old" version of him would have come right out and said the offensive word. But the "new" him danced around it a bit because of the presence of "a lady".
"There has to be a newer you down the line. You're still not new enough," Artie joked.
"Sal, listen to me, you're such a f****** nitwit," Howard said. "You don't know what the f*** you're doing in life. That is so whacked out."
1 Sal Governale's Controversies
The fact that Sal is "so whacked out" is actually something fans of The Howard Stern Show adore. After all, it's provided near-endless amounts of entertainment to the show. This includes numerous racist statements (which he was publicly shamed for), getting uninvited from Howard's wedding, insulting other celebrity guests, trying to get involved with Howard's marriage, being caught in a sexual act at work, and his neverending and totally off-color stories from his maligned personal life. While The Howard Stern Show has changed somewhat over the last few years, there's no doubt that Sal absolutely hasn't. And fans love it.