Food Network chef Brian Malarkey, 52, isn’t shy when it comes to talking about his “age gap relationship” with girlfriend Danielle Harley, 34. The duo opened up about their unique romance in the September 22 episode of their Harley & Malarkey Podcast.
“I think people are just curious because not everybody’s in one and they’re like, ‘what possibly could this spritely 34-year-old woman have to do with this almost 53-year-old man?'” Harley teased. “I want to know the answer!” The restaurateur joked, calling himself an “old nut-dragger.”
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“You have quite a youthful spirit for 53 years old,” Harley admitted. She also explained that she was looking for someone who’s “more established.” “I’m an old soul and I have my s–t together, and I wanted somebody who has their s–t together,” she added. And they both don’t care what people say about their age gap.
“See, [for] men? High-fives,” Malarkey said about how he thought people would react to him dating someone 18 years his junior, even admitting he was dating “26-year-olds” before meeting Harley. “I was like, ‘all my friends will think I’m so cool.'”
“I didn’t really care,” said Harley. “I don’t really give a f–k what people think, and all my friends were pretty supportive.” Her father even met Malarkey the day they met at a Food and Wine Fest, and they “hit it off” right away.
Malarkey admitted he changed his life to be healthier for his new, younger partner, saying, “I wound up getting sober to show you my commitment to our love and to be a better father.”
Malarkey and Harley were both fresh out of relationships when they met. Harley had just left her boyfriend of eight years, while the Top Chef alum had recently ended his marriage to wife Chantelle Hartman Malarkey after 20 years and three kids together.
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The pair agreed that parenthood was the biggest difference between them. “I would say, the only difference between you and I right now is I have kids, and I have older kids,” said Malarkey. “If I didn’t have children, and I absolutely love my children, I would be footloose and fancy free right now.” Harley agreed and revealed she “didn’t meet the kids for the first year we were dating.”
“Then, I don’t think they were super thrilled to have me in their life,” she said. “I’m learning to parent teenagers with him, and it’s not for the faint of heart. But I am grateful for the experience, and we’ve come a long way.”
In fact, Malarkey admitted that his children were also the root of their biggest arguments and disagreements, saying, “You tell me how to raise children without ever having raised children… You try to help me and give me your opinions… I’m like, ‘Well, you never walked a mile in my shoes.'”
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As for whether the age gap makes Harley worry about the future, she said, “I try not to think about it. None of us know what we’re promised in terms of how long we’re going to live, So I don’t think there’s any sense [worrying that] he’s gonna die.”
What happened to Brian Malarkey’s wife, Chantelle Hartman Malarkey?
Food Network fans knew Malarkey’s wife, Chantelle Hartman Malarkey, for as long as they knew him, as she often appeared on his social media pages and even filmed a Guy’s Grocery Games episode together while quarantining amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The couple was married for 20 years.
In a February 2021 blog post about how they keep their relationship “spicy,” Chantelle admitted they struggled with communication sometimes. “It can be easy to focus on negative things in a relationship,” she said. “Something we have been working on more is focusing on the positive in our relationship and what we LOVE about each other. Being more mindful of each other’s feelings and needs has been a priority of ours recently.”
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Malarkey filed for divorce just months later in July 2021. He made his new relationship with Harley official on social media in March 2023, noting the transition in his life while the divorce case was still ongoing, with a hearing scheduled for April 2023, and involved their three minor children.
“Introducing Harley D a.k.a. Danielle Harley,” he wrote while revealing his new girlfriend. “Thank you all so much for being supportive and kind in this transition in life – my entire family appreciates your love and support! Life is a journey….. #cheersandlove.”
