Plans between Kristin Cavallari and Bobby Flay nearly fell through due to a misunderstanding online. During the October 29 episode of her podcast, Let’s Be Honest, the celebrity chef and the Laguna Beach star talked about their single statuses and an awkward direct message exchange.
Cavallari, 37, pointed out, “You are fairly recently single.” Flay, 59, responded with some surprise, saying, “Am I?” To which she replied, “That’s what I hear!” Flay then jokingly referenced media reports, stating, “That’s what People Magazine is reporting.”
Flay shares his hesitance to use dating apps, preferring to keep his private life away from the public eye
According to PEOPLE, Flay’s breakup with writer Christina Pérez was announced in June. Cavallari also ended her relationship with TikToker Mark Estes in September after dating for seven months.
Flay, who referred to his ex-girlfriend as “the loveliest person in the world,” opened up about his current dating challenges. He expressed reluctance to use dating apps, saying, “If I wanted to start dating again, what am I going to do? I don’t want to go on the apps,” adding that he prefers to keep his private life out of the public eye.
Describing himself as a very private individual, Flay noted, “Other people like to talk about my private life; I don’t like to talk about it because the rest of my life is so public.” He mentioned that he has been in the public eye since his first Food Network series, Grillin’ & Chillin’, debuted in 1996. “So I like keeping as much as I can of my private life to myself.”
He further elaborated that online dating lacks the traditional elements of courtship. “For me, I’m so old-school when it comes to this stuff. My father taught me to be a gentleman and to do things the right way,” Flay stated.
Curious about his approach to direct messaging, Cavallari asked, “Would you ever slide into the DMs? Or have you ever?” Flay admitted he had, but not in a straightforward way. He recalled, “You and I had a situation where I was coming to Nashville for literally one day for a meeting and I was like, ‘Who do I know in Nashville?’”
“I DMed you and I said to you — now, I know what words I used specifically because you reminded me — ‘I’m going to be in Nashville for one night, can I take you to dinner?’” Flay recalled, laughing at Cavallari’s response, which was, “I’m already dating somebody.”
Cavallari chimed in, “Or it was like, ‘I’m over dating right now.’” Flay countered, “No, you said, ‘I literally started seeing somebody!’” They both laughed about how awkward the exchange had been, with Cavallari acknowledging, “It was like foot in mouth,” though they enjoyed their dinner together.
As they discussed how to avoid future DM mix-ups, Cavallari noted, “The ‘take you to dinner’ feels like a date.” However, she admitted her own fault, saying, “There’s a fair argument that I shouldn’t just assume that you wanted to take me on a date.”
Later in the episode, the pair playfully joked about their dining experience at Cavallari’s favorite restaurant, Husk. “This isn’t a date, Bobby, but I’m taking you to my date spot!” she laughed.
“You are a very good eater,” Flay complimented, noting, “I noticed when we went to dinner.” Cavallari responded, “I like to eat; people don’t think that about me.”
Flay humorously added, “The stereotypical hot girl meal is salad, which is crazy,” while also mentioning that Cavallari had ordered fried pig ears. “I’m an adventurous eater; I’ll try just about anything,” she said in reply.
