Celebs Who Can't Stand Rachael Ray
If you were to pick a celebrity that the world and other celebrities can't stand, maybe Kanye "Ye" West would come to mind, or even former President Donald Trump. We doubt that Rachael Ray would be high on your list, but as surprising as it may seem, the celebrity chef has ruffled a few feathers during her time in the spotlight.
Ray's always had a passion for cooking, and after years of working behind the scenes in the food industry, she landed a gig at CBS for a weekly segment called "30-Minute Meals," per Britannica. This gig led the chef to the Food Network, where she would go on to cook and host different shows. Her popularity skyrocketed, and anything that Ray touched turned to gold. She won several awards for her shows and published many cookbooks that were big sellers. Ray had quite the transformation over the years, and eventually landed her own talk show in 2006 and appeared on the series up until it ended in 2023, per IMDb.
Ray has undoubtedly had a successful career, but with success comes hate. The television star was aware she may not be everyone's cup of tea. She told GMA, "Not everybody's going to like it, just like not everybody likes everybody on the playground. I mean, that's life." Ray was prepared to have some haters, but she may not have expected that several of those who aren't a fan of her are some big celebs.
Anthony Bourdain was not a fan of Rachael Ray
One of Anthony Bourdain's biggest celebrity feuds included Rachael Ray. Bourdain, a fellow celebrity chef, had a problem with Ray striking an endorsement deal with Dunkin' Donuts. He told Outside magazine (via Page Six), "She's got a magazine, a TV empire, all these best-selling books — I'm guessing she's not hurting for money. She's hugely influential, particularly with children. And she's endorsing Dunkin' Donuts. It's like endorsing crack for kids." Bourdain said that it was "over the line" for Ray to endorse an unhealthy chain.
Bourdain's criticism reached Ray, who didn't seem bothered. She told ABC, "I absolutely love Tony Bourdain. I have an enormous amount of respect for him. It's a free country." She did say, however, that it "wasn't the greatest thing for my PR," but even so, Ray reassured she had the best intentions when signing up for the Dunkin' Donuts campaign.
However, Bourdain's dislike for Ray didn't stop at the Dunkin' Donuts promotion. The chef has called Ray harsh nicknames in the past, referring to her as a "bobblehead" and a "freakazoid," per the New York Daily News. But the feud may have been one-sided because when Bourdain tragically passed away, Ray shared a touching tribute to the late chef. She wrote on Instagram, "I'm so grateful for a day in honor of a man I respected very deeply. He was cool and brilliant. Over the years we found common ground through humor, music, and food."
Martha Stewart was not impressed by Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray may seem like a top-notch chef to viewers but to professionals, not so much. Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray's shady feud began when Stewart commented on Ray's cookbook. Stewart told ABC News, "She ... just did a new cookbook, which is just a re-edit of a lot of her old recipes ... and that's not good enough for me." She continued, "I mean, I really want to write a book that is a unique and lasting thing. Something that will really fulfill a need in someone's library." Stewart went on to call Ray more of an "entertainer" than anything else.
Not long after her comments, Stewart apologized to Ray on her show for her remarks. "Just for the record, there are no bad feelings between us nor have there ever been," explained Stewart. The television personality expressed that she felt that Ray was doing a "terrific job" to bring people into the kitchen and even encouraged Ray to appear on her show.
Once again, Ray took the high road and did not speak ill of Stewart. When an interviewer asked her about the television star's comments, Ray said, "Martha Stewart has never been a problem to me, ever in my life. I have nothing but respect for Martha Stewart." The television host even credited Stewart for paving the way for her in the industry, so there may not have been plenty of bad blood after all.
Emeril Lagasse said Rachael Ray knows nothing about food
Emeril Lagasse made it clear how he felt about Rachael Ray and her career in the food industry. While appearing on "From Scratch," the celebrity chef didn't hold back on his thoughts on Ray, per The Daily Beast. Speaking on whether he thought Ray deserved a spot on the Food Network, Lagasse said, "[She] doesn't know anything about food ... I would not put her on [the network]." Now, you may be asking — where did this come from? Well, Lagasse may have been a bit bitter in his response because of how his career was going.
Lagasse had been a part of the Food Network since the early '90s, even landing his own show, "Essence of Emeril," in 1996. Lagasse and the Food Network went hand in hand, but over ten years into his run, they decided to end the series in 2007. Lagasse later told GQ that after the show ended, many felt he needed to step away from the limelight, to which he disagreed. He shared, "When it ended, everybody felt like it was time for a little break. I didn't necessarily think that, but that's what everybody else thought." Lagasse took a break anyway and disappeared, and right around the time his series ended, Ray's career was reaching new heights. Although it may appear Lagasse was a bit bitter about where his career stood versus Ray's, he did join the chef on her show in 2012.
Rachael Ray and Giada De Laurentiis' rumored feud
Rachael Ray and Giada De Laurentiis have competed for years — literally. The two's rumored feud started when they appeared on "Iron Chef America" in 2006. The show had De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay team up against Ray and Mario Batali in a food competition. Unfortunately for De Laurentiis, she and Flay lost to Ray and Batali, but it was the loss to Ray that specifically irked her. While speaking to Hamptons Magazine in 2014 (via Delaware Online), De Laurentiis shared, "It's been eight years and people still ask, 'How did it feel to lose to Rachael Ray? ... It will bother me until the day I die and Bobby knows that."
A couple of years after her competition with Ray, De Laurentiis reassured viewers to Redbook (via Boston Herald) that there was no bad blood between the two, but the way she squashed the rumors didn't have fans so sure the feud was over. De Laurentiis shared, "Do we hang out all the time? No. Are we best friends? No." Yikes! Seems harsh, but De Laurentiis followed it up by saying, "We do these festivals together, and she'll [Ray] say to me, 'Oh, we'd better take a picture together and smile, because if we don't, God only knows what's going to get written about us.'" The two were aware of the rumored feud, but while Ray wanted to dispel the rumors, De Laurentiis kept them going with her brutal responses.
David Letterman went off on Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray had anything but a warm welcome when she appeared on "The Dave Letterman Show" in 2010. David Letterman started the show angered there were so many food-driven shows in America when world hunger was present, according to Eater. He said, "There's a million different shows on American television, and there's one: 'Cupcake Wars.' You realize there's a billion people in the world starving every day, and there's a group of a**holes having fights over cupcakes." Because Ray was a guest on the show, Letterman planned to ask her about this issue. He told the audience, "They're fighting over cupcakes! ... Does that seem right to you? Well, she's [Ray] got a lot to answer for when she gets out here..."
When Ray did sit down with Letterman, she tried her best to keep it light and even agreed with the host about his frustration about these shows. She said, "I agree, and I also think that with child obesity you can dramatically lower it at the same time you're battling hunger." The interview continued, but it was a bit uncomfortable.
A couple of days after their pre-taped interview, Letterman apologized to Ray on-air, per The Boston Herald. He said, "I'm just nuts. There's something wrong with me. So, if you see Rachael, tell her I'm sorry. She didn't do anything wrong." Letterman took the blame for his actions, but in the moment, he was heated about Ray and her endless food-driven shows.