On Sunday, June 2, a rumor arose on social media that celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay refused to seat and serve veteran actor and film producer Robert De Niro in one of his restaurants due to his alleged wokeness.
The claim first emerged on the Facebook page SpaceX Fanclub and contained a collage of both with the text, “Gordon Ramsay refuses to seat Robert De Niro: ‘He’s a woke jacka*s,’” written below.
However, the claim has turned out to be false. As per Snopes, it was meant as satire. In fact, in the description of SpaceX Fanclub’s Facebook page, it’s clearly written: “We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real.”
A rumor that Ramsay insulted De Niro. (Image via Facebook/ SpaceX Fanclub)Gordon Ramsay did not refuse to accommodate Robert De Niro at his restaurant
On Sunday, the Dallas-based Facebook page SpaceX Fanclub, led by a gaming video creator, posted that British restauranteur, celebrity chef, TV presenter, and writer Gordon Ramsay reportedly declined to accommodate Academy Award-winning actor Robert De Niro at one of his high-end restaurants.
Not only that, but the post hinted that Ramsay referred to De Niro as a “woke jacka*s.” In the comment section of the post, there was also an external link to the Esspots website, which carried the headline:
“Breaking: Gordon Ramsay Refuses To Seat Robert De Niro, “He’s A Woke Jacka*s.”
The article claimed that the alleged incident took place at one of Ramsay’s London fine dining locations, and he reportedly refused to seat De Niro because of his “outspoken political views” and save his own reputation.
Robert De Niro at the Bleeker Street’s “Ezra” New York Premiere.
The publication further alleged that the Killers of the Flower Moon actor arrived at the eatery with a small group one evening but was sent away at the entrance by Ramsay himself.
As per Esspots, the “confrontation was brief but intense, with Ramsay allegedly telling De Niro, ‘We don’t serve woke jacka*ses here.”
Besides, the article written by satire columnist Alex Robin claimed that since the alleged incident went viral on social media, several celebrities weighed in to share their opinions, including British broadcaster Piers Morgan and American actress, producer, and activist Alyssa Milano.
The former reportedly wrote on X, “Good on Gordon Ramsay for standing up to these Hollywood types who think they can say and do anything without consequences. Bravo!”
In contrast, the latter allegedly wrote on the same platform, “Disgusting behavior from Gordon Ramsay. Robert De Niro is a legend and deserves respect, not this kind of treatment.”
Despite the claims in the Esspots article and the SpaceX Fanclub, the rumor has turned out to be fabricated with no factual basis or authentic or reliable information.
While the website is known for its content specializing in satire, parody, and humor, as mentioned on its disclaimer page, the Facebook page is focused on satirical news, as written on its bio. Both of them also clearly mention that nothing they publish is real but is “entirely fictitious and created for the purpose of entertainment only,” as reported by Snopes.
Notably, this is not the first time Robert De Niro’s name has been associated with such rumors.
A day before the Gordon Ramsay claim, SpaceX Fanclub page on Facebook also posted that American restauranteur and Emmy-winning TV presenter Guy Fieri refused to seat The Intern actor in one of his businesses and allegedly asked him to “Go dine in some woke place.”
Late last month, several social media posts alleged that Kevin Costner reportedly fired De Niro for being “disrespectful” and not knowing “when to shut up” from a $30 million new project.
Over the last weekend, another rumor arose that Keanu Reeves also refused to work with the Tribeca Film Festival founder and referred to him as a “grade-A jacka*s.”