Top Chef winner Kelsey Barnard Clark has found herself in hot water after being arrested for drink driving, Us Weekly can confirm
Clark, 35, was arrested for DUI on Wednesday, Jan. 21, in Dothan, Ala., according to documents obtained by we on Thursday, January 22. Once booked, Clark’s photo was taken and published in the Dothan Police Department website.
A spokesman for the Dothan City Jail later confirmed this we that Clark was released early Thursday morning.
Clark was initially arrested Wednesday evening after police responded to a call that she allegedly drove her car into a mailbox, she said. TMZwho was the first to report the news.
The Next Gen Chef The judge smelled of alcohol and showed signs of impaired driving, according to the police report cited by TMZ. The outlet also reported that Clark allegedly participated in field sobriety tests at the scene and was reportedly unable to stand or walk in a straight line.
“We received a call about a vehicle hitting the mailbox in the 1300 block of Selkirk Drive,” said police spokesman Sgt. Scott Owens he said after the arrest according to the local CBS affiliate Wtvy. “Our officers who responded to the scene determined that Ms. Clark was under the influence.”
The news outlet reported Thursday that Clark’s two sons were in her car when the crash occurred. (Clark shares son Monroe and daughter June with her husband, Devourswhom he married in 2015.)
Kelsey Barnard Clark.
Dothan Police DepartmentNeither the chef nor his children were injured. The local station added that the children were “allowed to go home with a family” after the incident.
Us Weekly Clark’s rep has been reached for comment.
Clark, who is a native of Alabama, rose to fame after winning season 16 of Top Chef in 2019.
“When I decided to do it Top ChefI was very worried that it was the biggest mistake of my life. I’m glad I couldn’t have been more wrong,” Clark wrote via Instagram in March 2019. “The best part was being able to share the journey with this group of inspiring chefs that I now call friends.”
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Clark was later a contestant Tournament of Champions and was a judge NFL tailgate takedown in 2023. She was also one of the judges on Netflix Next Gen Chef in 2025.
The famous chef opened it KBC restaurant in his hometown of Dothan, Alabama in 2008. He added cookbook author on your resume in 2021 with Southern Grit: Over 100 Home Recipes for the Modern Cook.
His second cookbook, Southern Gatherings: A Guide to Hosting Unforgettable Gatherings, Plus Entertaining Inspiration, Tips, and 100+ Recipescame out in 2024 and his third book, The flavor of fire: recipes for cooking and smoking with a southern twisthits shelves in May.
Before his arrest, Clark discussed his plans for 2026 by writing via Instagram on January 8, “JANUARY is all about drying out, being healthy, resolutions, new years, blah. That being said, here’s a list of things I do daily/weekly/on the reg to stay healthy. In no particular order and also some of them aren’t healthy because real health is LIVING A BEAUTIFUL LIFE.”
He went on to list things like “sharing the real stuff” and “socializing on the record” as things he plans to do to enrich his life this year.