Fans have been curious about Sunny Anderson‘s absence from the preview of The Kitchen‘s reunion episode. Anderson served as the co-host for the cooking reality show for over a decade. However, Katie Lee Biegel clarified the situation months ago.
Sunny Anderson’s absence from The Kitchen reunion was already confirmed
Garden Slate Productions shared behind-the-scenes footage of The Kitchen reunion episode. It shows Katie Lee Biegel, Jeff Mauro, Alex Guarnaschelli, and Geoffrey Zakarian together on set. However, Sunny Anderson was missing, which raised fans’ curiosity. “Not the same without our girl @sunnyanderson,” one user wrote. Another one wrote, “I can’t wait… BUT no @sunnyanderson wth.” A third user commented, “Why am I not seeing @sunnyanderson in this shot? Was excited until I didn’t see her.”
Another said, “Where is @sunnyanderson ?! Not The Kitchen without her!” One comment reads, “Where is Sunny?? Please bring this show back!!” While Anderson has not addressed her absence yet, Katie Lee Biegel cleared the matter months ago on her All on the Table podcast. On the March 5 episode, she spoke to ex-The Kitchen co-hosts Jeff Mauro and Geoffrey Zakarian about the show’s cancellation and their time together. The interview hinted at a special episode of the show.
“I really, really wanted us to also be able to have the closure of being together for the last one. So I guess we’re going to get that this week when we’re filming,” Biegel stated during the episode. However, the host confirmed that the reunion won’t feature everyone. “Unfortunately, Sunny’s not doing this episode, so it won’t be all of us together,” she explained. It therefore appears from her words that Anderson’s absence was something that was factored into the planning for the reunion.
The Kitchen was cancelled in October 2025 and concluded after 40 seasons. The reunion episode is all set to release on Saturday, October 31, at 11 a.m. ET on Food Network. In the preview, Mauro says, “Hello, and welcome to The Kitchen,” while the other hosts cheer.
