Many people can identify Rachael Ray by face and voice almost immediately after her long career as a cooking show host. But Ray’s appearance in her most recent video sparked a cause for concern amongst her fans.
In a Sept. 2 promotional clip for her show “Rachael Ray in Tuscany,” Ray talks about a hilarious memory she has of the late singer Tony Bennett as she introduces the osso bucco meal she was cooking. According to Ray, “Osso bucco is just veal shank, slowly braised, and there are many styles of it from different cities.”
Ray starts the video sharing a story about Bennett coming over to her house and she “almost killed” him. In preparation for him coming over, she had the kitchen floors polished and the house cleaned.
“I might’ve gone a little overboard with the floors because when I pulled out the chair for Tony to sit down for his starter snacks and aperitivo,” she said with a chuckle. “The chair slid out from under him and he hit his head on my marble counter behind him and he fell to the floor and I thought I killed Tony Bennett.”
Rachael said Bennett’s wife Susan Crow assured her not to worry saying he was “fine” and “made it all through dinner,” eating double portions of food. Bennett died last year at the age of 96 in Manhattan after battling Alzheimer’s disease since 2016.
While the story was a humorous and heartfelt way to introduce osso bucco to her audience, fans couldn’t help but be distracted by the way Ray appeared on screen. Some felt she was reportedly speaking slower than usual and slurring her words, but others seemed to think she looked unrecognizable.
One person said, “Is this Rachel Ray the food woman? WOW,” while another X user bluntly said, “Damn what happen to her.”
However, many seemed to have more genuine concern for the show host’s health. One wrote, “I think it’s a mini stroke. Part of her mouth seems sinking. When was this???? I haven’t seen her this makes me so sad.”
One of Ray’s defenders added, “She’s aging like the rest of us. Maybe she has a medical condition, maybe she’s on medication. Regardless, no need to be mean.”
Being in the public eye for over 20 years, Ray’s had her fair share of scrutiny regarding her appearance. But she’s also faced multiple lawsuits against her dog food brand Rachael Ray Nutrish. Other celebrity chefs have denounced her cooking abilities, and she’s even been slammed for making racial statements about the renowned former talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
After a book signing in 2005, Ray and some friends went to a restaurant in Los Angeles. Ray reportedly had at least four glasses of wine before bad mouthing Winfrey’s photo from her movie “Beloved” which, at the time, was hanging in her Chicago production studio. In the photo, Oprah’s back is visibly scarred, indicating the times in the film were set around slavery.
In response to it, Ray reportedly told her friends at the table, “Why is she wearing slave drag? She obviously has problems being black.”
Ray received backlash not only because of the nature of the comment but also because it was Winfrey’s Harpo Studios that produced Ray’s daytime eponymous talk show.
“The Color Purple” star did not respond to the alleged comments.
