Malarkey said the ordeal began the morning after an argument with girlfriend and podcast co-host Danielle Harley about him being on his phone during dinner. Running on little sleep and three espressos, he suddenly saw black spots and collapsed. Harley recalled watching him convulse with twisted limbs and cramping muscles as hotel staff scrambled to call an ambulance.
The chef said he felt his body go cold and weightless as a bright white light surrounded him. He described a sensation of “pure peace” and said it felt like spirits were offering him a chance to “come on up.” He said he nearly accepted before thinking of his children, his restaurants, his mother, and Harley. “I’m not done,” he remembered deciding, forcing himself to fight his way back to consciousness.
Doctors performed CT scans, brain imaging, and labs, all of which came back normal. Harley told listeners that specialists now suspect a non-psychogenic seizure brought on by extreme internalized stress. The couple said follow-up testing is still ongoing as they try to understand what triggered the frightening event.
The episode marked a rare serious moment for the Harley and Malarkey podcast, which normally leans on chaotic relationship energy, generational bickering, and jokes that often sound like they should come with their own HR department. The couple routinely mixes “Gen X grit and Millennial mindfulness,” though most listeners would describe the show more as an R-rated, toxic relationship ping-pong match with attempts at occasional life advice hidden somewhere in the debris.
Malarkey’s health scare comes during an intensely busy stretch in an already oversized career. The chef first shot to national attention on Top Chef Season 3 before returning for Top Chef: All Stars Season 17. Since then, he’s become a regular face on Guy’s Grocery Games, Chopped, Beachside Brawl, and countless Food Network specials. He was also chosen to host Food Network’s rebooted Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out earlier this year.
In San Diego, Malarkey’s footprint is even larger. The flagship restaurant of his reborn culinary empire Herb & Wood in Little Italy remains one of the city’s more celebrated dining rooms. Herb & Sea in Encinitas continues to draw attention, while Animae - his high-design Asian-French restaurant near the bayfront - has become a staple of downtown’s luxury dining scene. His French steakhouse Le Coq took over the former Herringbone space in La Jolla in 2024, adding to his growing collection of dramatic, visually driven restaurants.
His earlier ventures included Searsucker and the original Herringbone, which he sold to the Hakkasan Group in 2012 for a reported $25 million. He later co-founded the Puffer Malarkey Collective, leading to a series of splashy openings and a reputation for bold concepts with even bolder branding. This year, he expanded outside California with Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge, a cowboy-inspired steakhouse in his hometown of Bend, Oregon, under his new Brothers Malarkey Portfolio.
Despite the ever-growing business empire, Malarkey has also been navigating a long-running divorce, juggling national TV commitments, and filming weekly podcast episodes that often generate their own micro-controversies. Fans and friends have pointed to this workload as a possible contributor to the stress that doctors believe triggered his near-death episode.
National media outlets including Parade Magazine and Entertainment Now picked up the story this week. Fans flooded Malarkey’s social accounts with messages of relief and support, many saying they were moved by his emotional retelling. The chef, however, appeared shaken on the podcast, sounding unusually vulnerable as he described realizing how close he came to losing everything.
For now, Malarkey says he’s grateful to be alive - and grateful for the support - but he made no promises about slowing down. Given his track record, San Diego will likely see him back at one of his several restaurants, back on camera, and back on the mic, telling stories that are hopefully a lot less literal about “seeing the light.”
Malarkey’s health scare comes during an intensely busy stretch in an already oversized career. The chef first shot to national attention on Top Chef Season 3 before returning for Top Chef: All Stars Season 17. Since then, he’s become a regular face on Guy’s Grocery Games, Chopped, Beachside Brawl, and countless Food Network specials. He was also chosen to host Food Network’s rebooted Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out earlier this year.
In San Diego, Malarkey’s footprint is even larger. The flagship restaurant of his reborn culinary empire Herb & Wood in Little Italy remains one of the city’s more celebrated dining rooms. Herb & Sea in Encinitas continues to draw attention, while Animae - his high-design Asian-French restaurant near the bayfront - has become a staple of downtown’s luxury dining scene. His French steakhouse Le Coq took over the former Herringbone space in La Jolla in 2024, adding to his growing collection of dramatic, visually driven restaurants.
His earlier ventures included Searsucker and the original Herringbone, which he sold to the Hakkasan Group in 2012 for a reported $25 million. He later co-founded the Puffer Malarkey Collective, leading to a series of splashy openings and a reputation for bold concepts with even bolder branding. This year, he expanded outside California with Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge, a cowboy-inspired steakhouse in his hometown of Bend, Oregon, under his new Brothers Malarkey Portfolio.
Despite the ever-growing business empire, Malarkey has also been navigating a long-running divorce, juggling national TV commitments, and filming weekly podcast episodes that often generate their own micro-controversies. Fans and friends have pointed to this workload as a possible contributor to the stress that doctors believe triggered his near-death episode.
National media outlets including Parade Magazine and Entertainment Now picked up the story this week. Fans flooded Malarkey’s social accounts with messages of relief and support, many saying they were moved by his emotional retelling. The chef, however, appeared shaken on the podcast, sounding unusually vulnerable as he described realizing how close he came to losing everything.
For now, Malarkey says he’s grateful to be alive - and grateful for the support - but he made no promises about slowing down. Given his track record, San Diego will likely see him back at one of his several restaurants, back on camera, and back on the mic, telling stories that are hopefully a lot less literal about “seeing the light.”
Originally published on November 13, 2025.