Gordon Ramsay’s Mansion Gets Swarmed With Cops

Yep, even the fiercest of chefs isn’t safe from pranksters. The Los Angeles home of Gordon Ramsay was the target of a full-blown swatting incident this week—and no, it wasn’t some new TikTok challenge involving kitchen tools.

According to TMZ, cops showed up at Ramsay’s Bel-Air estate on Monday night, April 22, after someone called in a bogus report claiming shots had been fired at the property. Officers responded fast; but once on the scene, they realized it was all smoke, no fire. Literally. Ramsay wasn’t even home when it happened, and thankfully, no one was hurt.

No, That’s Not a Fire Drill

Here’s what went down: around 8:40 p.m., the LAPD got a call about a gunman supposedly opening fire at Ramsay’s place. Not something you want to hear on a Monday night (or, you know, ever). Cops rushed over, likely thinking they were walking into a serious situation. But after a full sweep of the home, they found nothing (i.e. no shooter, no threat, no reason for the call in the first place), per TMZ.

It was all just an elaborate and extremely unfunny hoax.

For those unfamiliar, “swatting is false reporting an emergency to public safety by a person for the intent of getting a (“SWAT. team”) response to a location where no emergency exists,” per 911 Gov’s Public Safety Information page. The “trend” has been popping up more frequently lately, especially with celebs. Honestly, it’s the kind of thing that would’ve gotten you banned from Xbox Live back in the day… and now it’s escalating to real-world danger.

Chef Ramsay Joins the Club Nobody Asked to Be In

Gordon Ramsay’s not the first star to get hit with this mess. Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber, Jennifer Aniston, and Miley Cyrus, as well as a few other celebs, have recently dealt with similar stunts. It’s a disturbing trend, and truthfully, there’s nothing funny about wasting police resources or terrifying someone in their own home.

According to TMZ, “Detectives have opened an investigation into the Ramsay case … but so far, no one has been arrested.” Hopefully that changes soon, because this isn’t just a harmless prank. It’s dangerous, and frankly, a complete waste of time for everyone involved.

On the bright side, Ramsay’s safe, his home’s intact, and no one had to get bleeped on national television. Still, maybe give the man a break… he’s just out here trying to pan sear his scallops, not get swatted.