Emeril Lagasse, one of Food Network’s biggest stars in the ’90s and 2000s, is back in the headlines for the best reason ever. The New Orleans chef endearingly dubbed the BAM! Man is all over social media right now, with clips of his live shows being shared millions of times and racking up millions of views.
According to The New York Times, no one is more surprised than the chef himself, whose team just discovered archived footage of Emeril Live!and Essence of Emerilis charming an entirely new generation of cooks and viewers online, particularly on X (formerly Twitter).
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“I continue just to keep scratching my head,” Lagasse said about his viral status.
I’m trending on the internet? pic.twitter.com/dDU2uda0Kz
— Emeril Lagasse (@Emeril) July 24, 2026Taking to X himself, Lagasse shared a post of his own, writing, “I’m trending on the internet?” He included a clever video that features himself watching his own trending clips while ABBA’s also newly trending song, “The Winner Takes It All,” plays in the background.
Over the video, Lagasse wrote, “POV: You find out you’re trending on the internet.”
Long before celebrity chefs became household names and dominated the small screen, Lagasse made cooking feel like a party. His signature catchphrases—“Bam!” “Oh, babe,” and “Kick it up a notch”—became part of the American lexicon, appearing everywhere from late-night comedy to commercials to sitcoms.
Lagasse is from the small town of Fall River in Massachusetts. But his chef’s career really got started in the early '80s when he moved to New Orleans and led the kitchen of the legendary Commander’s Palace, succeeding chef Paul Prudhomme. Eight years later, he opened his namesake restaurant, Emeril’s, on the city's historic Tchoupitoulas Street.
In 1993, Lagasse transitioned from executive chef to television host with his screen debut on Food Network’s How to Boil Water. Fans were so enchanted with his "essence" that he got his own signature program, Essence of Emeril, in 1994, followed by his breakout hit, Emeril Live!, in 1997.
The popularity of Emeril Live!is difficult to overstate. A massive cultural phenomenon, the series turned its spice-loving host into America’s first rock star chef. Touted as a cooking variety show,Emeril Live! had guest stars, a live jazz band, an electric studio audience, and record-breaking cable television ratings that saw its host “taking it up a notch” for a whole decade.
Now, 33 years later, fans, cooks, and social media users are discovering, rediscovering, and loving the je ne sais quoi swagger of Lagasse.
In one of the viral posts the Times points out, Lagasse grates some potatoes while polling the audience on their love of starch, to which “a delirious audience delivers a resounding yes.” That post currently has 3.4 million views.
A spokeswoman for the chef told the paper that their team is not behind the postings. Instead, the outlet traced the roots of the viral post back to an automotive worker in Flint, Michigan, named Ryan Montalvo.
After noticing Lagasse’s clips in his YouTube feed, the nostalgia took over, so he shared the sentiment with his followers on X under the account @nachoeveryday.
This shit is electric t.co/WCNKbysw0D pic.twitter.com/aSb8vWj8ia
— nacho (@nachoeveryday) July 21, 2026Telling the Times that he believes people are “Emeril-maxxing,” he added, “We’re reaching that point in the 25- or 30-year generation gap where people are going back to see what their parents were doing. Watching stuff like this online feels really good. It’s camaraderie around loving the same thing delivered by a real person.”
Comments on all the Emeril-maxxing posts range from calling him an American treasure to bragging about being one of the lucky audience members.
Today, the James Beard Award-winning chef/owner continues to oversee his restaurant empire, hosts cooking shows for Roku and Netflix, and continues to support his charitable organization, the Emeril Lagasse Foundation. His flagship New Orleans restaurant, Emeril’s, is now led day-to-day by his son, E.J. Lagasse.
Related: Beloved ‘Lawrence Welk Show’ Star Who Grew Up Before Millions Turns 83
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