Food Network’s Eddie Jackson has signed a new exclusive deal with the network, it was announced today by Betsy Ayala, Head of Content, Food, Warner Bros. Discovery.
The most recent season of Christmas Cookie Challenge, which Eddie co-hosts with Ree Drummond, reached more than 11.4M P2+ viewers and Food Network was the #2 cable network among W25-54 during the show’s timeslot.
He also hosts Outchef’d, which is returning for a third season this spring. Season two reached more than 10.1M P2+ viewers and rated +14% higher than its prior season.
“Eddie is a Food Network mainstay, and we love his energy, humor and talent – if he is on-set, you know it’s going to be a great day,” said Ayala. “His background in sports and competitive nature translate perfectly into our programming and we look forward to many more projects together.”
“Food Network has been my home since 2015 and I am so excited for what’s to come,” said Jackson. “Stay tuned!”
Eddie Jackson was a college football All-American at the University of Arkansas and went on to play in the NFL for five years for the Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots.
Upon his NFL retirement in 2009, he turned his focus to his passion for food, which was instilled in him by his grandmother and father while growing up in Texas.
Eddie started his food career by opening a Caribbean grill food truck in Miami, and he eventually opened a food truck, personal training business and beer garden in Houston where he currently lives.
In 2015, Eddie was a contestant on Food Network Star, where he bested eleven other finalists by winning the season. He proved to be the ultimate culinary champion during Star, known for his charismatic personality, charm under pressure and spectacular cooking skills.
His take on food, which combines his southern background with his passion for rich bold flavors, consistently distinguished him in the competition. He currently hosts Outchef’d, Christmas Cookie Challenge and Yum and Yummer, and appears regularly on many other shows including Beat Bobby Flay, Chopped and Supermarket Stakeout.
FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food.
The network strives to be viewers’ best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring, empowering and entertaining through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to more than 74 million U.S. households and draws an average of 50 million unique web users monthly with a social footprint of 71 million, while Food Network Magazine reaches 11 million readers.
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