Tragic Details About Rachael Ray
Over the last two decades, Rachael Ray has gone from an untrained chef doing local television segments in Albany, New York, to a full-on media mogul with her hands in everything from publishing to cookware to home furnishings. That's all in addition to her thriving television career, which has shifted with the end of her syndicated talk show but has certainly not stalled.
After making her mark locally with segments promoting her trademark "30 Minute Meals" — an idea she developed and taught while working at a gourmet market — Ray was tapped to write her first cookbook in 2000. She caught the attention of Food Network, who offered Ray her own show in 2001. Ray began hosting "30 Minute Meals" the next year, and she kept it going all the way through 2019. The show's quick success led to many other opportunities for the star, including other Food Network programs such as "$40 a Day" and "Rachael's Vacation."
Ray's empire expanded when she launched her magazine in 2005 and especially when she began hosting her self-titled daytime talk show in 2006. Ray's talk show stayed on the air until 2023, during which time she continued to juggle multiple Food Network shows, write over 20 cookbooks, and develop numerous product lines. But while her career has been on a continuous upward path since before Y2K, Ray has also had her fair share of setbacks.
A horrible case of croup led to lifelong voice issues
Rachael Ray is known for many things — high levels of energy, widespread knowledge of cooking despite never having attended culinary school, and tons of drive — but one of her most defining characteristics is her gravelly voice. Whether you watched her long-running syndicated show or not, chances are that if you are familiar with Ray, you are also familiar with her signature rasp.
While Ray has sounded this way for as long as she has been famous, cigarettes or any other voice-altering substance are not to blame for her gruff voice. In fact, Ray has struggled with her voice for her entire life, and it was especially bad pre-puberty. And, sure, a raspy voice can be cool, but not if has been the cause of medical issues or takes away one's ability to communicate on the regular.
Ray's voice box has continuously been a problem for her, as she caught croup, an infection that affects the airway, when she was growing up. "I had a lot of croup as a kid so I don't have the strongest vocal cords to begin with," Ray told People in 2006. "I went to a voice doctor [who] taught me exercises for my throat and to cut back a little on the caffeine." In 2008, Ray also had to go in for surgery to remove a cyst on one of her vocal cords, but she was back to her bubbly, gravelly-voiced self after a week of strict vocal rest.
She was mugged outside her New York apartment — twice
Crime was a huge issue in New York City for decades, so much so that the city became synonymous with random muggings often portrayed in movies and TV. Crime has steadily decreased ever since widespread, systematic changes were made in 1994, but that is not to say that New York has completely eliminated muggings or aggravated assaults, and Rachael Ray knows this all too well.
Ray moved to the city in 1995, only one year after the new crime-fighting tactics were introduced. Within two years, she became the victim of a violent mugging in the lobby of her own Queens apartment building. "This kid comes in behind me — next thing I know he shoves my face up against the door, jams a gun into my back and says, 'Give me your bag,'" she recounted to People. "I flipped the top off the mace my dad had given me when I moved to New York City, spun around and started screaming." The robber was deterred, only to return the following week to beat Ray up in an alley. These incidents prompted her to flee the city for upstate New York, saying, "Dude, I got mugged twice within one week! Wouldn't you want to leave?"
She faced criticism for appearing in a Dunkin' ad
The vast majority of the hate Rachael Ray has received has come from the tabloid media or the public. Rarely has she faced criticism from one of her peers, so it was a huge shocker when she was called out by another huge name in culinary broadcasting back in 2009. It all began when Ray signed on to appear in advertisements for Dunkin' (then Dunkin' Donuts), which seemed like a great idea since Ray built her brand on fast and easy meals. Do you know what else is super-fast and super-easy? Grabbing a donut and a coffee from Dunkin' — so it makes sense why Ray would agree to jump on board.
The partnership may have fit Ray's brand, but even she admitted to ABC News that it turned into a PR fiasco after Anthony Bourdain called her "evil" and said she was basically "peddling crack to kids." The late chef was by no means the only one to bash Ray's choice — some other critics were outraged because they thought her scarf was a symbol for Islamic extremism – but Ray appeared undaunted by the backlash.
"They came to me and they said, 'We want to make healthier food for America. You drink a lot of coffee. You grew up on Dunkin' Donuts,'" she said in the ABC News interview while noting that Dunkin' provided support for her charity, Yum-o. "I don't regret a thing. Not for a minute."
She was mistakenly blamed for being a mistress
Rachael Ray has had some legitimate criticism thrown her way, but she has also had a few instances of unnecessary hate. There was one particular rumor that was so ludicrous that it was almost humorous — except the hate lobbed Ray's way was real, and no one could blame her for being upset about it.
We are, of course, talking about how Ray was reeled into the Jay-Z and Beyoncé cheating scandal due to people on the Internet's collective stupidity. Her name is what got her into trouble since it is strikingly similar to that of another Rachael, who was accused of being Jay-Z's mistress.
The other Rachael was designer Rachel Roy. Much of people's belief that Roy was involved with Jay-Z stems from an Instagram post she made about "good hair," which was interpreted as a reference to Beyoncé's famous "Becky with the good hair" lyric. The Bey-hive went in on Roy, but some of Bey's less astute fans saw "Rachel Roy" and immediately thought of Ray, despite the former being a fashion designer with no television connections. Ray then became the target of rage, receiving tweets (via Page Six) such as, "Never watching ur show again Rachel u r a homewrecker."
She dealt with rumors of her husband's infidelity for years
Rachael Ray married John Cusimano – a musician, actor, and lawyer — in 2005, and fans are quite familiar with him by way of his frequent appearances on Ray's daytime show. Unfortunately, while the host has never been accused of cheating herself, she has for years had to deal with reports of her husband's indiscretions. Plus, she has faced a lot of judgment from the public for her hubby's actions, which have not even been proven true.
Despite the unverified nature of the rumors, Ray and Cusimano have continually had to defend their relationship. In a 2007 interview with People, Ray confirmed she had heard about six women her husband allegedly cheated with but made it clear she was no duped spouse. "I've known where he is every night since we've been married," she said.
The couple also felt pushed to put out an official denial in 2013 after tabloids alleged that Cusimano was a regular at a New York City swingers club called Checkers. "This is yet another pack of lies printed by the National Enquirer who have been targeting John and Rachael for several years with no merit," said their publicist (via the Daily Mail).
Her aunt's tragic death led to a bitter family feud
Many people can identify with not seeing eye-to-eye with a relative or even cutting them out of the picture when the relationship becomes too toxic. In the case of Rachael Ray, it was a more distant relative who decided to call her out in the media; her cousin, who was incensed over the death of her mother and armed with the belief that Ray is to blame. The unfortunate death of Ray's aunt turned into a full-on war after the TV personality and her husband skipped out on the funeral, and the tabloids jumped on the chance to paint Ray in a negative light.
Ray's aunt, Geraldine, died after accidentally locking herself outside in freezing weather. This occurred in November 2013 when she was housesitting for her sister (Ray's mother, Elsa) in chilly upstate New York. "My mother is dead today because [the] Ray family neglected her," said Ray's cousin, Gina, in an interview with the National Enquirer. When it came time for the funeral, Ray and her husband were not in attendance due to work. "It's inexcusable," Gina argued. "It shows a total lack of caring."
She shouldered the public blame when her brand was sued
When a celebrity puts their name on something, they are often expected to be held accountable for that product. When Rachael Ray's dog food, Nutrish, faced a giant lawsuit, Ray shouldered nearly all of the public outrage rather than simply a portion of it. People seemed to either forget or conveniently ignore that she was not involved with the day-to-day operations or the manufacturing of the product line when it was found to have a harmful ingredient.
The pet food line was originally manufactured by Ainsworth Pet Nutrition before being purchased by the J.M. Smucker Company, who owned it when a $5 million class action lawsuit was filed in 2018. In the lawsuit, a consumer pointed out that the so-called "natural" dog food contained the herbicide glyphosate, which he alleged was false advertising. A judge dismissed the case in 2019 due to a lack of specificity, but Ray already took the brunt of the harsh criticism from the media. That is to be expected — the canine food is officially named Rachael Ray Nutrish – but one would expect the actual defendant, Smucker, to be namechecked in the headlines too.
She lost her New York home in a devastating fire
Very few people had a good 2020 or 2021 — thanks, global pandemic! — and some people definitely had it worse than others. Many lost loved ones to COVID-19, their jobs, and their general autonomy. Rachael Ray was lucky in that she maintained her health and her job, but she did lose something that most of us value an incredible amount: her beloved home in the Lake Luzerne region of upstate New York. When not working on her show, that was known to be Ray's primary residence, located across the street from her mom's home and in the area she has been connected to for decades.
Ray was staying at her upstate home during the pandemic and was there when a devastating fire ravaged it in August 2020. She had just started up the fireplace to set the mood when a neighbor came rushing over to alert her that the roof was on fire. "I drew this house on a piece of paper 18 or 19 years ago," she told ET in December 2021. "We lived in it for almost 16 years and it burned on August 9 into the ground. It burned for a long time, actually." Ray has since rebuilt the home, and she even created a show – "Rachael Ray's Rebuild" – to help others who have lost their homes and possessions.
Hurricane Ida caused severe flood damage to her NYC apartment
As if losing one's home is not traumatic enough, Rachael Ray and John Cusimano had to deal with another upsetting property situation when Hurricane Ida severely damaged their New York City apartment. This occurred not much over a year after their upstate New York house burned down when the hurricane hit New York City in September 2021. Ray's residence was basically unlivable in the aftermath of the storm. "Ida took it out. And I mean, out. Down hard," Ray told People. "Like, literally every speaker in the ceiling, the fireplace, every seam in the wall ... It was like the apartment just literally melted, like in 'Wicked' or something."
Hurricane Ida flooded Ray's apartment shortly after she and her husband renovated it over to fit their needs and tastes, which no doubt must have amplified the frustration. They were unable to start fixing anything for a week, and when the remediation team began to dry the place out, they created even more damage. "They put up their fans and their humidifiers. And then, they make a hole in the wall and break the main water pipe and flood the entire building down to the first floor, from our apartment on the sixth floor," she explained to the outlet. "Tell me you would not feel like a kicked can."
Her beloved dog died in her arms during the pandemic
In addition to the loss of her Upstate New York home and the extreme flooding of her New York City apartment, Ray lost more than just property and material possessions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, she also had to say goodbye to her beloved dog, Isaboo, who died in May 2020. "Today @johnmcusimano and I mourn the loss of a dog; a pit bull who taught us more about unconditional love, empathy, and understanding of one another than we could have ever imagined," she wrote on Instagram.
Despite her loss, Ray remained able to put things into perspective, recognizing the gift of the time she was able to spend with Isaboo due to the world slowing down, as well as the extreme losses others were facing. "When I lost my dog I was so grateful that I could be with her the last several months of her life ... she died in my arms," she explained in an interview with Extra. "I felt guilty and grateful at the same time. People suffered actual human loss from COVID or because they couldn't get care ... and how many people died alone." A month after Isaboo died, Ray and her husband adopted another pup, who they named Bella Boo Blue in honor of their deceased pit bull.
She consistently had to field invasive questions about family planning
Women in entertainment — or just women in general — still face much scrutiny when it comes to their romantic and familial choices. That often manifests in a constant barrage of questions about their fertility and when, not if, they are going to start having children. In reality, there are plenty of women, famous or not, who have no desire to parent. In terms of celebrities, this list includes everyone from Chelsea Handler to Dolly Parton to Helen Mirren. But while being child-free is becoming more common in our culture, someone needs to send the memo to the press.
Ray has had to field invasive parenting questions, and most of them have come with a layer of judgment. "I think that I'm 40 years old, and I have an enormous amount of hours that have to be dedicated to work," she explained on "Nightline" (via WSJ) in 2009. "For me personally, I would need more time to feel like I'd be a good mom to my own child. I feel like a borderline good mom to my dog. So I can't imagine if it was a human baby ... I feel like it would be unfair, not only to the child but to the people I work with." Even then, the interviewer followed Ray's statement up by asking, "Do you think you're missing something?" The talk show host's answer was simple: "I don't feel like I am. I really don't."
She has been vilified in the media
Like most celebrities, Rachael Ray has made some missteps. We have already discussed that Dunkin' endorsement fiasco, however, there have been far more instances where Ray has been targeted because people simply do not like her. For example, Ray has been painted as a phony and a fraud by some social media users (and even some websites) because she is not a chef, despite never claiming she went to culinary school nor stating that she had any sort of formal training.
Beyond taking issue with her lack of formal training, tabloids have targeted Ray for many issues related to her personality or behind-the-scenes conduct. She has been called out for being a poor tipper on numerous occasions, even though most of these reports rely on spotty claims originating from less-than-credible websites. She has also had to deal with cruel stories about extensive plastic surgery, being a horrible diva on the set, and a fake feud with Oprah Winfrey (whose company produced Ray's talk show), despite a lack of proof or even on-the-record sources. It is unfair the way that Ray has been continuously picked on and vilified in the media, but as Taylor Swift sang in "Shake It Off," "Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate."