Selena Gomez has had a cooking show, Selena + Chef, on HBO Max for four seasons. Each episode featured Selena learning how to cook from a different professional chef. It was really enjoyable and Selena is quite endearing. It’s unclear what the fate of that show will be now that HBO is becoming Max and seemingly reshuffling everything, but it seems she has parlayed that random show into more cooking show gigs. Selena will be hosting two new shows on the Food Network later this year and early next.

On May 17, Food Network announced two new projects set to be hosted by the “Only Murders in the Building” star. The news was shared during the Warner Bros. Discovery upfronts and marks Gomez’s first foray into the Food Network universe.

The first Gomez-helmed culinary program will debut on the channel in late 2023 and is described as a “celebration-focused series” that will come just in time for the holiday season. (And we know how much Food Network loves the holidays.)

“The holidays are always huge for Food Network,” said Kathleen Finch, chairman and chief content officer of U.S. networks for Warner Bros. Discovery. “Having Selena kicking off the nearly 100 hours of new and returning holiday programming will certainly make this coming season one to celebrate.”

Then, in 2024, Gomez will also start working on another new series that will feature the actor, singer and host meeting up with “some of the best chefs in the country” in a quest to cook their most popular dishes during visits to their kitchens.

Gomez makes the move to Food Network fresh off her Emmy-nominated HBO Max series, “Selena + Chef.” First conceived during the pandemic, Gomez was joined remotely by well-regarded chefs to school her on signature dishes to see if they could “make a meal together, apart,” according to the star.

Welcoming food icons like Padma Lakshmi, Roy Choi and Gordon Ramsay, Gomez proved to be a heartwarming and relatable host. Over four seasons, she fielded calls from “cute” boys, was flustered by culinary techniques like we all have been at times, and other funny moments.

The series became a hit, premiering its fourth Malibu-filmed season in August 2022. Both Food Network and HBO Max are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The pair of new Gomez projects will be produced by July Moon Productions and the Intellectual Property Corporation.

[From Today]

Ah, so Warner Bros. Discovery owning both networks might answer that question about a fifth season of Selena + Chef. They’re being quite vague about the celebration series for later this year, but Food Network does well with the holiday themes. I wonder if it will be something New York-based, maybe a little tie-in with Only Murders since that’s such a cozy fall show and New York City around Christmas time is also super festive and nice. The 2024 series is more straightforward and just seems to be turning the concept of Selena + Chef on its head. Instead of being in her kitchen, she’s going to the kitchens of professional chefs to learn their signature dishes. I wonder if there will be any repeat guests from Selena + Chef. Anyway, both these shows sound good. Selena continues to make good career decisions and is expanding her profile.

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Photos credit Getty and via Instagram. Screenshots from YouTube are from these two videos from HBOMax