Rachael Ray is one of the biggest stars of the 21st century.  She taught Americans how to prepare weeknight dinners on “30 Minute Meals.” She then expanded her empire into travelogues, other cooking programs, cookbooks, a magazine, and the general-interest “Rachael Ray” talk show. That show ran for 16 years on broadcast television. 

Cooking on TV is tough. Rachael Ray’s off-stage life is even more challenging.

She had a childhood illness. Rachael Ray found her niche in the crowded television food landscape. She differentiated herself from the competition with a down-to-earth personality and a distinctive voice. That’s not an affectation. It’s the result of illnesses Ray suffered as a child. Ray told People, “I had croup as a kid, so my vocal cords aren’t strong.” 

Croup is an irritation of the upper airway in infants and young kids. This can cause swelling, breathing problems, and a raspy voice. 

Ray’s vocal cords were weak from croup as a child. 

In 2008, the National Enquirer reported that she had told close associates that she thought she might have throat cancer. The truth is that the cancer speculation was a rumor. 

Cheating rumors surrounded her marriage.

John Cusimano has been by his wife, Rachael Ray’s side for two decades. They got married in Italy in 2005. Despite everything, Ray and her husband have been accused of cheating.

In late 2006, the National Enquirer reported that Cusimano had a five-year-long relationship with a woman in Florida before and after his wedding to Ray. The tabloid also said a second woman said Cusimano paid her for sex. Ray and Cusimano noted the stories were false. 

Like millions of others, Rachael Ray spent months in lockdown at home. The home was also used to film her talk show, “Rachael Ray.” Ray and her husband, John Cusimano, were inside when it caught fire in August 2020. A neighbor saw the fire and told the couple. The fire spread quickly, and Ray and Cusimano left to avoid injury. They lost many things, including photos, art, letters, and gifts. 

A year after her home in Lake Luzerne, New York, was destroyed by fire, Rachael Ray lost her New York City apartment to a natural disaster. Hurricane Ida flooded the apartment in New York City, causing extensive water damage. 

Her dog food brand caused problems and lawsuits. Rachael Ray is known for helping people feed themselves. In 2008, she started selling food for dogs and cats. Ray helped create and market Rachael Ray Nutrish, a line of packaged pet food and treats made with natural ingredients. 

Ray would be blamed if Nutrish went wrong. That’s what happened. In 2015, some Nutrish cat food was recalled because it had too much vitamin D. Four years later, the FDA said that Nutrish could cause heart disease in cats and dogs. In 2023, Markeith Parks sued Nutrish’s parent company. He said the food is not all-natural and contains glyphosate, a toxic herbicide.

She was mugged several times. Before becoming famous, Rachael Ray worked at a gourmet grocery store in Manhattan and lived in Queens. A mugger stopped Ray outside her home and shot her in the back. 

Ray was mugged again just days later in the same place by the same man. She was saved by her dog, Liza. The dog chased the attacker after he forced Ray into an alley. “She scared him away.” “He was scared of the dog.” After the second attack and her breakup with a boyfriend, Ray moved back to her hometown of Glens Falls, New York.

Geraldine Dominica Scuderi was blamed for her sister’s death.

In November 2013, she was housesitting in Queensbury, New York, for her sister, Elsa — the mother of Rachael Ray. Geraldine Scuderi went outside to feed birds on a freezing day. The temperature reached 28 degrees Fahrenheit. The door closed and locked behind Scuderi, leaving her no way back into the house.

Security camera footage showed Scuderi trying to break a window to get back in, but she couldn’t. Scuderi died from a heart attack outside Ray’s mother’s home in sub-freezing temperatures. Ray’s aunt was 77.