Inside Rachael Ray's Longtime Marriage To John Cusimano
Rachael Ray has lots of spare time since her show ended in May 2023. She's been focusing on her production company, Free Food Studios, and hanging with her dog, Bella Blue Boo, and husband, John Cusimano. After 17 seasons on the air, it has to be an adjustment for the couple to be together 24/7, but luckily, they're still head-over-heels in love.
"I've made the decision that it's time for me to move on to the next exciting chapter in my broadcast career," Ray announced in a statement in March 2023. She went out in a blaze of glory, with an array of A-listers bidding her farewell, including Jimmy Kimmel, Cameron Diaz, and Whoopi Goldberg. Oprah Winfrey, who gave the professional cook her first big break, gave a touching tribute to her protégé. "I couldn't be more proud of you for showing up as yourself so authentically every day," she said in a pre-recorded message, adding she immediately knew Ray would be a star when she first met her in 2005. "I can't wait to see what you cook up next, yum, yum," Oprah concluded.
However, Ray's most important guest was Cusimano. She whipped up his "favorite dish on the planet" — pasta carbonara with added king crab. Ray explained it was the first thing he ever asked her to cook for him. Cusimano appeared frequently on the show over the years. Still, there are lots of things fans don't know about Ray's husband and their longtime marriage.
Ray puts her career first
Rachael Ray and John Cusimano have been together for 20 years. They met in 2004 at a party thrown by a mutual friend who'd been trying to play matchmaker to the couple for a year. "[The friend] was a tall person, and she invited all of her ex-boyfriends and people she knew — and they were all tall," Cusimano said during an appearance on Ray's show. "And as you can see, we're not all that tall. So I like to say we saw each other among a sea of knees."
Ray admitted to People that she initially thought Cusimano was gay. "I was going to set him up with a friend of mine — another handsome Italian man." However, he persuaded her otherwise, the love story began, and they've been together ever since. Ray and Cusimano made it official in September 2005. They said "I do" at the 12th-century Castello di Velona in Sarteano, Tuscany. Ray called the location "a cozy, peaceful place," adding, "Everything you see, taste and feel seems more intense here."
Cusimano and Ray don't have any kids. She chose to put her career first, leaving no time for a family. "I think that I'm 40 years old, and I have an enormous amount of hours that have to be dedicated to work," the now-55-year-old told "Nightline" in 2009 (via The Wall Street Journal). When asked if she felt she was missing out, Ray didn't hesitate with her answer. "I don't feel like I am. I really don't," she replied.
Ray and Cusimano keep the romance alive
There are more than a few strange things about Rachael Ray's marriage to John Cusimano. For instance, there are the unconventional gifts. On Valentine's Day 2024, Ray shared a cute photo on Instagram showing the two kissing. She also shared pics of the present Cusimano gave her — a bouquet of beef jerky. Because, presumably, nothing says love like dehydrated meat strips.
Jerky aside, Ray and Cusimano work hard to keep the romance alive in their relationship. Each year, they return to where they married in their favorite Tuscan village. "Sarteano is charming, romantic, and beautiful, and since we like to go back each year, I bought some land, and we are now building a house so we can have our friends stay with us in Italy," Ray told People in February 2020.
They love it so much there that they renewed their vows at the same 12th-century castle ten years after their first wedding. It was even more magical this time as the couple flew their pitbull out to Italy. "She walked me down the aisle," Ray told Huff Post in November 2015. It was also extra special because they were surrounded by all of their friends and family. "We just wanted to really have that moment where we were all celebrating each other and the fact that we'd all been together for so long, and it was great. It was amazing," she said.
Ray and Cusimano are ride or die
Rachael Ray and John Cusimano stick together through thick and thin. And the couple has weathered their fair share of storms during their 18-year marriage. They suffered a devastating blow in August 2020 when their house, which they'd built 15 years before, burned to the ground. An accidental fire started after an ember from the chimney fell onto the roof, and the blaze destroyed nearly all of Ray's belongings, including photos, drawings, notebooks, and medicines.
Ray shared photos of the wreckage on X, formerly known as Twitter. "This is what's left of our house today," she captioned the pics. Ray thanked first responders and friends. "We are very grateful and mindful of how fortunate we are in many ways," she concluded. Cusimano shared more information on the fire in the Season 15 premiere of Ray's show. "The night that the fire happened, we literally were just watching our house burn and burn and burn," he said. "It wouldn't stop. You're just thinking, 'Oh God, what's going to be left?' Then we went up there the next day... and there's devastation everywhere. We were like, 'Oh my God, there's no house left.'"
Some couples would have been torn apart by the tragedy, but Ray and Cusimano kept calm and carried on. "We balance each other, we always have," she told People. "We knew we'd get through this together."
The couple that plays together
Rachael Ray and John Cusimano both have busy schedules. However, they still find the time to play together — literally. In addition to being a high-flying lawyer, Cusimano sings and tickles the ivories in a band. In March 2022, Ray posted a pic of them performing in a concert. "#TBT to parties and stages and singing some tunes," she captioned the photo.
The couple shares a strong passion for music. In December 2013, Ray told Forbes, "My husband and I are big music junkies, and we have an enormous vinyl collection with around 1,500 to 2,000 records." She said listening to music was their favorite way to while away the hours.
On their 15th wedding anniversary, Ray shared the secret to her and Cusimano's happy marriage. "We actually like each other, have a lot of the same interests, and find it sexy to share bad behavior, like staying up too late, eating the wrong foods, and listening to loud music," she told People, sharing, "We love being together and not acting our age! We don't trust quiet people." Meanwhile, Ray told Extra that their relationship can often be explosive, "which is a good thing." But they roll with the punches and make it work in their own unique way. "We don't have any rules. There's never a set time to eat or an expectation of what the next day's gonna be or what we're gonna do," she said.