Cake Boss was a big hit for TLC, running from 2009 until 2017 and airing more than 230 episodes
as well as a whole host of spinoffs.
But while the cameras captured plenty, there are some things not everyone knows about the
Valastro clan.
In a true rags-to-riches story, Buddy Valastro has been open about his dad's life and how
he was able to build on his legacy.
Buddy shared that his dad, Bartolo "Buddy" Valastro Sr., literally came to the U.S. from
Italy with no money at all but worked hard enough at Carlo's Bakery that he was eventually
able to buy it.
During a 2010 interview with The Seattle Times, a proud Buddy shared,
"He came here from Sicily, at 15, with nothing, absolutely nothing.
He was from a family of bakers, and by the time he was 26, he had bought Carlo's Bakery.
He lived the American dream.
He was a great cake decorator and that inspired me."
Writing for Guideposts, Buddy shared how his dad married his mom, Mary, a year after the
big purchase.
The two worked alongside each other at the now iconic Hoboken store featured on the TLC
show, which is how Buddy's passion for baking started.
Buddy stated,
"It wasn't until I was six I got my first taste of what my father did for a living.
One day I stared up at him putting on his crisp white baker's uniform and announced,
'Daddy, I want to come to work with you.'
That day he brought me to Carlo's."
And the rest is history.
"They call me Buddy.
I'm the Boss."
Did you know that Buddy Valastro's real name isn't actually Buddy?
Yep, though we were fooled into thinking Buddy's real name was Buddy, it turns out his legal
name is Bartolo Valastro Jr, named after his father, Bartolo Valastro Sr.
As for how he got the infamous nickname?
Well, Buddy opened up about his moniker and how his dad's name also played a part in that
during a 2019 sit down with Newsday.
He explained that his beloved father was the first to have the nickname, getting it when
he came over from Italy as a different take on his original first name, Bobbytolo.
Buddy shared,
"That's how it's pronounced in Italian.
But everybody would say Bartolo or they couldn't pronounce it.
So his friend said we're going to give you an American nickname.
We're going to call you Buddy.
And then everybody called him Buddy."
The name lives on too, as Buddy shared his son also has the name on his birth certificate.
Buddy added,
"I'm Bartolo on my birth certificate and my son is Bartolo.
Everybody calls us Buddy.
I feel like I couldn't have gotten a better name because I feel like I'm friends with
everybody, and I get along with everybody so it was pretty cool to have the name Buddy
growing up."
There's no doubt that Buddy Valastro is one of the most knowledgeable men in the world
when it comes to baking and cake decorating, but when it comes to formal education, he's
actually a high school dropout.
He explained his decision to The Seattle Times in 2010, sharing he started working at the
bakery alongside his dad when he was around 11 years old by cleaning bowls.
When a 17-year-old Buddy's dad died, he left high school in his junior year and quote "went
to work full time."
Buddy admitted he quote "had to prove [himself] over and over" and revealed he considers himself
to be, quote, "self-taught in a lot of ways."
He shared,
"I wasn't a bad student ... I was a B student who never tried.
I got mostly B's and an occasional C."
But dropping out of high school wasn't the plan Buddy's dad, Bartolo Buddy Valastro,
had for his son, as he wanted him to go to college, according to Guideposts.
Three weeks before Bartolo died, Buddy told him while standing beside his hospital bed,
"I'm gonna work full-time at the bakery.
I'm going to make Carlo's a household name, like you always dreamed, I promise.
I'm going to make you proud, Dad.
Just get better."
His dad wasn't convinced, telling him through tears,
"Buddy, I want you to graduate."
Buddy replied,
"No, I want to run the bakery.
We have to keep it going."
Buddy dropped out of school that very day.
Buddy Valastro and his wife, Lisa Valastro, have quite the meet cute.
In a seriously adorable love story, it turns out the two actually knew each other for years,
and we mean many years, before tying the knot as their paths first crossed as kids.
Lisa was actually close friends with a cousin of Buddy's who also just so happened to be
his neighbor, meaning the two would always run into one another on the street when they
were younger.
But things really got serious when Lisa was in her late teens and Buddy was 22, when that
cousin invited them both on a night out.
It was then that the two started dating.
Buddy joked during a TLC interview saying,
"When Lisa came out that night, I teased her and said 'you were really after me,' and she
says I was really after her."
Buddy admitted that because of their three-year age gap and them meeting so young, there was
a time he thought of her as, quote, "a little girl."
The two have pretty much been in love "ever since" and have gone on to welcome four children
into the world, Sofia Valastro, Bartolo Buddy Valastro III, Carlo Valastro, and Marco Valastro.
Fans have also seen their romance grow even more over time, including in 2011 during the
Season 4 episode Soap, Sonograms and Surprises as they renewed their vows in the Bahamas.
Ouch!
The squeamish may want to look away now, as this one gets graphic.
In September 2020, Buddy Valastro suffered a serious hand accident while bowling in his
home alley with his kids.
His representative explained to People, that
"[Buddy was] trying to release the bowling pin from the cage mechanism [when it got stuck]."
Buddy's lodged hand was then impaled by a more than inch long quote "metal rod slowly
and repeatedly" that pierced quote "his hand three times between his ring finger and middle
finger."
Buddy told People the following month,
"I looked at my hand and blood was gushing everywhere.
It looked like a Halloween movie.
[It] was the worst pain that I've ever encountered in my life."
Buddy's wife Lisa described the whole ordeal as quote "hell."
The injury was so serious the famous baker admitted there was a time his doctor was worried
he might lose his right hand completely.
Speaking just over a year on in October 2021, Buddy revealed during an appearance on Today
that he'd had five surgeries and may still need to go under the knife again, but has
been able to get back to work.
He shared,
"Considering what happened, I had a huge metal spike through my hand, the fact that I'm here
talking to you guys today, doing what I'm doing ... Hats off to all the doctors and
nurses and everybody in that industry who really put us first every time."
Buddy Valastro has been vocal about his nasty injury, but he's not the only one who's been
blunt about health issues.
Buddy's wife, Lisa Valastro, has also gotten candid with fans, sharing in 2020 that she
had cystic thyroid disease that put her at greater risk of developing breast cancer.
Lisa shared the news on TLC's 2020 special, Buddy Valastro: Road to Recovery, which showed
Buddy as he worked hard to get his hand back in shape.
The cameras rolled as Lisa and Buddy openly discussed the possibility of her developing
cancer.
The two talked through her options, as Lisa shared she should take medication for a few
years or get a mastectomy to reduce the risk.
Lisa also discussed her health journey on her What's Up, Cuz?
podcast in December 2020 where she told listeners she had experienced quote "breast issues"
for much of her life and had found lumps before that had, thankfully, all been benign.
Lisa also spoke candidly about the first time she realized she had something out of the
ordinary when she found a lump while in the shower several years ago.
She then went for an ultrasound and found she actually had two quote "rather large bumps,"
so has been undergoing regular mammograms ever since.
Lisa Valastro's health experiences sadly don't mark the first time Buddy Valastro's family
has had cancer come into their lives.
While it's common knowledge Buddy's dad died when he was a teenager, one thing that hasn't
been discussed so much on the show is why he passed away.
Bartolo Valastro Sr. died when Buddy was 17 years old of lung cancer, which it's believed
was caused by smoking.
Bartolo was 54 and died just weeks after being diagnosed.
Buddy has shared his grief on multiple occasions and his late father was regularly mentioned
on Cake Boss, though the star shared just how much his dad's death affected him in a
touching piece for Guideposts in 2011.
Buddy recalled how he tried so hard to carry on in his father's footsteps at Carlo's Bakery,
writing,
"No matter how hard I worked — and I had to with Dad gone — I couldn't escape my
grief.
Almost every night I'd demand of God, How could you take away my father?
How can you expect me to go on without him?
How?"
Buddy shared a vivid dream he had shortly after his dad's death in which he met Bartolo
at the bakery and he showed his son how to make one of Carlo's Bakery's signature pastries,
the Lobster Tail.
Buddy recalled telling his mom, Mary, about it, and she welled up and told her son,
"God must've sent you that dream."
The Valastro family have certainly had their fair share of health scares, one of the worst
coming in the form of a particularly tragic diagnosis for the Valastro matriarch, Mary,
who was heavily featured on Cake Boss.
Mary — the mom of Buddy and his four sisters — was diagnosed with ALS in 2009 and died
as a result of pneumonia, a common cause of death for those with the disease, in 2017.
A representative for the family told People,
"[Mary's] condition had been steadily worsening these past months, so it was not sudden but
still extremely heartbreaking for the family.
After eight years of fighting her battle with ALS, the family is relieved she is no longer
suffering.
Buddy and his sisters are absolutely crushed right now."
Mary's experience with the illness was discussed a lot on Cake Boss and the family were very
outspoken about trying to find her the best treatment.
Cameras rolled during candid conversations about her health, and the family even started
the Mama Mary Foundation in her honor.
Buddy candidly opened up about his final moments with his mom to People.
He said,
"I looked her in the eye, and I told her, 'Ma, I owe everything to you and I couldn't
be who I am without you.
You're my No. 1 girl, and I'll always love you.
I know that she's in a better place and she's in heaven and she's with my father singing
'I Will Survive.'"
"I will survive."
"You better have that.
It has meaning and it's a nice song."
Though Buddy Valastro has a reputation of being one of life's nice-guy family men, he's
had his fair share of controversies over the years.
Buddy's most notable faux pas came in 2014 when he was arrested for driving under the
influence.
According to TMZ, he spent the night in prison after reportedly failing quote "multiple field
sobriety tests".
According to ABC News, in a move very much unlike the down-to-earth guy fans see on TV,
the judge claimed Buddy told cops,
"I had a couple drinks.
You can't arrest me!
I'm the Cake Boss."
Clearly not too impressed by his moniker, he was arrested anyway and Buddy found himself
in court.
Buddy pleaded guilty and had his license suspended for three months, was slapped with a $300
fine, and ordered to take a drunk-driving course, according to The New York Times.
But that wasn't the only time the Cake Boss has found himself in hot water.
The star and the show both came under fire in 2012 after being accused of transphobia.
The "Bar Mitzvah, Beads & Oh Baby!" episode of the TLC series saw former RuPaul's Drag
Race contestant Carmen Carrera ridiculed by Buddy and Anthony "Cousin Anthony".
Buddy suggested Carmen surprise Anthony with a kiss on the cheek as he exclaimed, quote:
"That's a man, baby!"
Carmen shared her frustration on Facebook and TLC confirmed the episode had been pulled.
Buddy then took to Facebook to apologize to her and quote "the entire LGBT community".
It's certainly not just Buddy Valastro who's surrounded the Valastro family with controversy.
One of the family's most shocking moments came in 2010 when Cake Boss regular and Buddy's
now former brother-in-law, Remy Gonzalez, was arrested and later convicted for the sexual
assault of a 13-year-old girl.
He was removed from the show.
Remy — who was previously married to Buddy's sister, Lisa — was sentenced to nine years
in prison in 2012 as a result of the case, according to NJ.com.
Speaking in court, Remy said,
"I want to apologize to the victim.
I truly am sorry for all the pain and all the embarrassment I caused."
But that wasn't the only time one of Buddy's extended family members hit the headlines
for all the wrong reasons.
Anthony Bellifemine, also known as Cousin Anthony, who was also a regular on the show,
caused some controversy in 2013 over divisive tweets regarding the 2013 Boston Marathon
bombing, which were deemed xenophobic.
Before the bombers were identified by officials, Anthony wrote in a series of since-deleted
tweets,
"Let's just keep letting all these Animals into our country so they can keep attacking
us....
We even pay for them to go to school [... ] how's that!"
When questioned about his take on the tragic event by his followers, he reportedly called
them, quote, "typical liberals."
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp
National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat
services.
"Let me ask you another question.
If you were not a family member.
Would I have fired you already?"
Working together in such close quarters can be a recipe for disaster for many family members,
and the Valastro's are no exception.
All that built up tension came to a head back in 2012 when Buddy Valastro sensationally
fired his sister, Mary, in explosive scenes filmed for Cake Boss.
Talk about drama!
It all went down in the episode titled Stained Glass & A Surprised Danny, when the two fell
out in a pretty explosive way and Buddy pulled the plug on Mary's time in the bakery.
He accused her sister of being too outspoken in the bakery and undermining his authority
as the Cake Boss.
Mary hasn't exactly made a secret of her frank nature, as fans of the show will already know.
But Mary didn't stay out of Carlo's Bakery for long and continued to feature on the show
even though she wasn't an employee, even calling out her brother in the episode Liberty, Layups
& a Loaded Dinner.
Despite the commotion between Mary and Buddy, the two made up seven episodes later in Silly
Seuss & Surprise when Mary returned to the bakery as a full-time employee.
The two have clearly more than made up since.
In March 2021, Mary shared a touching birthday tribute for her famous brother on Instagram.
She shared three selfies alongside the caption,
"Happy birthday to the best brother a girl could ask for ... we love you and I'm so proud
to call you my brother."
While a firing may have happened before, the Valastro's are pretty much the definition
of fighting big but loving big on reality TV.
The clan opened up about the reality of working together as well as spending so much time
together outside of the bakery, with Buddy's brother-in-law Joey admitting to Business
News Daily in 2015,
"Working in a family business is unlike anything else … You fight and yell, and then you
sit down for a meal.
We always joke about that, but it's true.
You might see us fighting on the show but you don't always see what happens after the
work day is over."
And this group really does spend pretty much all today together.
Joey noted,
"We spend eight to 10 hours every day at work and then hang out with each other at night.
I feel lucky that we can work so hard at our jobs but still have that family time while
we're doing it."
Joey also opened up about how the Valastros' relationships have changed since finding fame,
admitting that, well, it hasn't.
"At the end of the day, the dynamics of the bakery are similar to how it's always been.
We work together all day, and then go home and have dinner together…
We're always together, but that's what makes it fun."
A Real Housewives of Cake Boss spinoff, anyone?
Well, that's kind of what we had once, as it turns out that Buddy Valastro and Lisa
Valastro have some Real Housewives connections.
Yep, in a conjoining of two of New Jersey's most famous power couples, the two are actually
close friends with Real Housewives of New Jersey mainstays Melissa Gorga and Joe Gorga.
The two regularly appear on one another's Instagram accounts where they show off their
fun-filled adventures, including a "#Summatime" snap from the pool which Melissa shared back
in 2018.
But they're more than just casual friends, they're actually neighbours and vacation buddies!
Buddy told Us Weekly in 2019,
"We love Melissa and Joe.
They're great people … They're our neighbors, we live on the same block.
So, our kids are close together in age, and they play together."
The families are so close they even once took a trip to Walt Disney World together, with
Buddy joking the two invited themselves and their three kids along after Buddy mentioned
it over dinner.
And just like we totally would if we were close with Buddy, the Gorga's have taken advantage
of their Carlo's Bakery connections with some stunning cakes over the years, like this replica
of Joe's book!
This love goes both ways too, as Lisa and Buddy popped up in an episode of the Bravo
hit.
They can be seen celebrating Melissa's birthday in the Season 10 episode titled "40 And Fancy
Free."
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about your favorite reality TV stars are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.