Nickelodeon announced 'Tiny Chef' was cancelled. The internet can't handle it.

The star-studded kids' cooking show announced the news in a heartbreaking video.
 By 
Meera Navlakha
 on 
The green tiny chef character wearing a chef's hat and taking a phone call.
Credit: Screenshot: YouTube / The Tiny Chef Show.

On Wednesday, Nickelodeon's Tiny Chef got a call — his cooking show had been cancelled. The adorable chef delivered the news in a heartbreaking video clip that has now gone viral. "But we won an Emmy!" Tiny Chef cries. The internet is now crying with him.

The Tiny Chef Show, a blend of stop-motion and live-action, premiered on Nickelodeon in 2022. In each episode, the little chef created tiny dishes, from nachos to granola bars to apple pie, in his woodland home.

The titular tiny chef was assisted by a cast of colorful characters, including Olly, his robot best friend, Henry the snail, and Ruby, Tiny Chef's pet caterpillar. Each episode was voiced by a celebrity announcer; famously, RuPaul played this part throughout the first season. Cameos were made by Alan Cumming, Kristen Bell, Rebel Wilson, and Mayim Bialik.


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Over the three years it aired, the show reached cult status, receiving critical acclaim and winning two Children's and Family Emmy Awards. Just earlier this year, the show won "Outstanding Preschool Animated Series", as Tiny Chef declares in his announcement.

The heartbreaking cancellation video has people up in arms. Fans are taking to X and TikTok to post in support of the beloved Tiny Chef – and blaming Nickelodeon for axing the show. "Nickelodeon! Who is this guy and why'd you make him cry?" a creator posted on TikTok. The hashtag #savetinychef has dozens of posts, with users rallying behind the viral character.

Now, the show's creators are crowdfunding for help from fans to keep going. "Tiny chefs cooking show has officially been cancelled (very unexpected) and without the support of a major network we need crowd funding to keep cookin’ over here." Fans can make a one-time donation via Venmo or Paypal, or join the Tiny Chef fanclub to show more support.

"We want nothing more than to continue sharing Cheffy’s journey with you all," wrote the creators on Instagram. "Thank you Cheffers."

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Meera Navlakha

Meera is a journalist based between London and New York. Her work has been published in The New York Times, Vice, The Independent, Vogue India, W Magazine, and others. She was previously a Culture Reporter at Mashable. 

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