LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Food Network host Darnell “Superchef” Ferguson is accused of illegally entering a woman’s residence and allegedly strangling her, according to court documents.
Ferguson, 36,a former restaurateur in Louisville, Kentucky, is facing charges of felony burglary and strangulation, WHAS-TV reported. He also faces misdemeanor charges of assault, terroristic threatening, menacing, criminal mischief and theft of a stolen debit or credit card, according to the Louisville Courier Journal.
Booking records in Louisville showed Ferguson had been processed at the Metro Corrections facility shortly before 4 p.m. EST on Tuesday, according to WHAS.
Ferguson pleaded not guilty during an arraignment at the Jefferson County District Court on Wednesday, according to the Courier Journal. He was later released on a $10,000 bond with orders to have no contact with the alleged victim.
Bail was originally set at $20,000, but Ferguson’s attorney, Krsna Tibbs, told the judge that the alleged victim and her attorney agreed to lower the bond, in part because they share three children, WDRB-TV reported.
According to court documents, Ferguson, the host of “SuperChef Grudge Match” on the Food Network, was charged on Jan. 2 in connection to an incident with the alleged victim, WLKY-TV reported.
In the complaint, the woman claimed Ferguson entered her home without permission and yelled at her about not returning telephone calls and text messages, according to the Courier Journal. The alleged victim also claimed that Ferguson punched holes in the wall and broke a door before strangling her against a wall and threatening to kill her, according to the complaint.
The Food Network has not responded to a request for comment from the Courier Journal.
In early 2023, Ferguson co-hosted Season 25 of “Worst Cooks in America” with Anne Burrell, according to People. He also is a frequent judge on “Chopped” and “Guy’s Grocery Games,” according to the magazine. He competed on three seasons of Guy Fieri’s “Tournament of Champions” and recently appeared on “The Big Holiday Food Fight” and “Food Fantasies,” according to People.
Ferguson is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 18, the Courier Journal reported.