The Shady Side Of Rachael Ray

Millions of viewers have welcomed Rachael Ray into their homes over the years by turning to her cooking show for quick, easy, comfort meals. But while her recipes may be appetizing, there's a side of Rachael Ray that isn't quite as palatable. The New York native has been criticized throughout her career, for her questionable skills in the kitchen, dodgy business practices, and undeniable shadiness that makes her a polarizing television personality.

While she became a household name on the Food Network in the early 2000s for her quick and simple food recipes on her "30-Minute Meals" program, not everybody has raved about the television personality's cooking over the years. Regardless of her skills (or lack thereof), she's amassed an empire by giving individuals a no-frills, realistic approach to cooking. "I have no formal anything. I'm completely unqualified for any job I've ever had," she previously admitted (via The Guardian).

Cooking skills aside, the Food Network star has been the center of more than one controversy over her lengthy career. Ray knows how to stir the pot — and we're not talking about her chili recipe. Here's a look at the shady side of Rachael Ray.

The Food Network may have hit a gold mine when they stumbled upon Rachael Ray, but their rising star seemed to eclipse them entirely. Scripps, the parent company that owns Food Network and HGTV, signed Ray in 2001 — but they couldn't have predicted the massive celebrity she would later become. Book deals, magazines, endorsements, and product lines made her a staggering multi-million dollar fortune, one that Scripps couldn't cash in on.

"While Food Network turned Rachael Ray into a star, she made tens of millions and Scripps got none of it," an HGTV insider revealed to Page Six. "After Rachael, they made sure no talent deal would ever put them in that situation again." It could be the reason why stars like Chip and Joanna Gaines jumped ship with HGTV in 2017, hoping to score a better contract with a different network. "Since the Gaineses were relatively unknown when they started, they signed the general Scripps talent contract," the source explained.

While there's no telling what exactly the stipulations in Ray's contract were at the time of signing, the two parties seemed equally pleased to continue working together for two decades. The foodie eventually took matters into her own hands, leaving the Food Network in 2023 to focus on her own production and distribution company, Free Food Studios.

There seems to be room for just one spatula wielder in the world of home cooking — at least when it comes to Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray. The two television personalities were pitted against each other in the late 2000s after tabloid reports speculated that they were at odds with each other. At the time, Ray had secured a spot on syndicated daytime television and would be competing against Stewart's cooking show, which premiered in 2005.

According to a report from TMZ in 2006, four employees of Martha Stewart's attempted to snag a spot in the audience for Ray's "Rachael Ray Show" but were turned away after being recognized by security. However, a source for Page Six (via TMZ) denied those claims, admitting, "[The spies] were kicked out because they lied about their names. Otherwise they would have been welcome to stop by."

Still, the beef seemingly didn't end there. A few months later, Stewart had musical guest Barry Manilow on her talk show for a live broadcast. At the same exact time, Ray's camp was running a pre-taped episode of Manilow performing on her show. A representative for Ray chalked it up to ratings, telling TMZ, "Barry was a fantastic guest, and we wanted to lead our sweeps with the best show we had in the can, and that was Barry Manilow." Nonetheless, Stewart threw shade at her rival on-air, opening her show by telling the audience, "I've never actually met Rachael Ray. I think she's very fun ... lively ... uh ... young woman." She went on to add, "She has Barry on her show today ... Now that's kinda weird."

Rachael Ray's appearances on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in the mid-2000s got the ball rolling on Ray's first talk show in 2006. While one would think that leg-up would mean the ladies would be on good terms, some reports have speculated the women haven't always been fast friends.

Sources claimed to TMZ in 2007 that two years before, while Ray was having dinner with friends in Los Angeles, the food mogul allegedly made some racist remarks about Winfrey. Insiders told the publication that Ray was referring to a portrait of Winfrey that resides in her production office in which she's using a clothing article from the slavery era when she asked, "Why is she wearing slave drag? She obviously has problems being black."

Ray's team denied the accusations, however, and claimed that there's no bad blood between the stars. "Neither in public nor in private has Rachael made a disparaging or cruel remark about her friend and mentor, Oprah, nor a celebrity couple she has never even met," said her then-director of publicity, Charlie Dougiello.

Winfrey's bestie Gayle King also shut down the rumor train when she appeared on Ray's talk show in 2008. "I read something that you two were fighting," she mentioned to the host (via Today), adding, "I know that's not true." Ray revealed that all was well with Winfrey at the time and that she had sent a birthday snack on Winfrey's special day and received a note in return. Years later, Winfrey and Ray shed a light into their supportive friendship on the final episode of the "Rachael Ray Show." Among several celebrity tributes, Winfrey appeared on the program to bid her friend's closed chapter farewell. "I knew from the moment that we met back in 2005 on the 'Oprah' show that you were the real deal," she said in her video message (via People).

Rachael Ray may be serving up generous portions when it comes to food — but can the same be said for her generosity outside the kitchen? The "30-Minute Meals" star has been criticized for not being the best tipster and even advertising to her viewers poor tipping habits.

One former blog, List of the Day (via Miami New Times), listed her as a lousy table guest, with the server claiming she "tipped $1 on a $10 tab." Ray's previous show, "$40 a Day," was also criticized by the blog for encouraging its viewers to tip less than 20% on their meal tabs.

One user on the DIS boards forum was shocked while watching Ray's "$40 a Day" program, which shows people how they can eat three meals a day for under $40 while traveling to different places around the country. This, however, seems only possible with a poor tipping model, according to some viewers. "I [was] watchin' $40 a day, and I can't believe how low she tips!" one person wrote. "I know she is on a budget and her lunch only cost $9, but she only left [a] $1.35 tip! I can't believe anyone would leave under $2!!!!! I hope she or her crew gives the server more when they leave that isn't a part of her $40 budget!"

Rachael Ray may have made a fortune on her cookbook sales, but the best-selling author may not be able to take all the credit. A 2012 New York Times report named her as one of the many celebrities who have rocketed to The New York Times Best Seller list with the alleged help of a ghostwriter.

Wes Martin, a chef who claimed to have written recipes for Ray, revealed that ghostwriters are essential to keeping the content churning. "The team behind the face is invaluable," he told the publication. "How many times can one person invent a new quick pasta dish?" But his description of channeling Ray's cooking left a bitter taste. "I know who I am as a chef, and I know who Rachael is, and those are two totally separate parts of my brain," he expressed.

Ray had Gwyneth Paltrow — who was also accused of using ghostwriters in the Times piece — on her talk show to dish on the subject. While the two ladies did admit to collaborating with others on their cookbooks, they refuted the idea that they were not the authors of their own work. "This is how I spend the little time at home I have with my family, I spend in front of these little notebooks, in front of the computer," she asserted (via E! News). "It sort of takes away from all of that to not be able to call that writing — of course that's writing." She then seemed to take a serious stab at the employees down the chain of command, saying, "It doesn't mean you don't value the people who write the glossary or that help organize the pantry or that work on a project, but a writer is still a writer." Ouch, shade much?

Rachael Ray's life has been marked with a major tragedy — one that has since left a huge divide in her family. The professional cook's aunt was left to die in freezing temperatures in upstate New York in 2013, and her surviving relatives blamed Ray and her immediate family for the debacle.

Geraldine Dominica Scuderi, who was 77 at the time, was house-sitting for the television host's mother in late November when she unintentionally locked herself out of the residence. Camera footage of the incident reportedly showed the elderly woman attempting to break in by busting a window to no avail. Unable to get help, Scuderi eventually collapsed and died from a heart attack in the cold.

"My mother is dead today because [the] Ray family neglected her," the TV personality's cousin, Gina Mesnick, told the ­National Enquirer (via New York Post). She then seemed to indicate this was the status quo for Ray and her mother, Elsa, saying, "I want the world to know the truth about them and just how they treat their own family."

The family drama got even deeper when Ray and her husband, John Cusimano, decided to skip out on Geraldine's funeral service. "I doubt that Rachael shed a single tear over my mom's death," Mesnick claimed. But a spokesperson for Ray claimed she missed the service because she was filming the season finale of "Rachael Ray." He told the publication, "Rachael and her family were shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic and untimely passing of her aunt in late November." Ray's brother Emmanuel also stook up for the cook, telling Radar Online, "It's sad that Rachael's getting dragged into this when she really has nothing to do with it ... She's been very good to [Geraldine's family] and I'm sorry they've decided to degrade it for this."

Rachael Ray has faced her fair share of problems in the dog food business. The television chef first got into the business of selling dog food in 2008 with the launch of her brand, Nutrish, which focused on meat-first recipes without any artificial flavors or preservatives.

In 2018, a New York customer sued Ray's company, claiming in documents published by The Wrap that the "potentially harmful" ingredient, glyphosate, was included in Nutrish's dog food. The chemical is often found in weed killers, like Roundup, raising the plaintiff's concerns about Nutrish's advertised "natural" ingredients. Independent tests were done on the dog chow and found glyphosate in Nutrish's food, but the lawsuit was ultimately dismissed.

Nutrish was previously manufactured by Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, but was later bought by the J.M. Smucker company. The latter faced a huge recall in 2018 after a euthanasia drug was found in many of its dog food products. A representative for Ray stood behind the brand amid their legal troubles, however, telling People that the television star "has always championed the great lengths Ainsworth Pet Nutrition and now the J.M. Smucker Company take to create and provide the highest quality and safest pet food products on the market."

Rachael Ray made headlines during the COVID-19 pandemic after reports surfaced of her employees demanding their paychecks. According to Variety, over 20 of her employees were let go in October 2020 without a heads-up or their allotted pay.

This change took place after producers decided that Ray would continue to film episodes of the "Rachael Ray Show" from her residence in upstate New York to combat the mounting spread of the virus that was taking place at the time. Although the workers were told the show would be returning to the studio before the end of the season, due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, it was decided that production would remain in Ray's home and the crew would not be compensated for the remaining weeks of their original filming schedule. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) took on the case, representing 18 union members in negotiations for a settlement on the contract they agreed to before the outbreak of COVID-19 that required them to be paid.

Hours after Variety published the story, Ray took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share her side. "It has been my utmost priority that we keep the full contribution to their healthcare plan during this pandemic ... While everyone is continuing to be paid through October, we will continue to work this out," she wrote (via Variety).

Still, employees weren't thrilled with the response. "It's hard when you work for a show for 14 years and they say, 'We're going to take care of you and we're all family. We're going to pay you guys for September and October,' so you expect the show is going to come back to the studio or they're going to keep paying you because of our contracts," an anonymous employee told BuzzFeed News. "But now we're left with nothing." The case later went to arbitration, but there's no word at the time of writing as to how it was settled.

Rachael Ray caught a lot of flack for what some viewers took as a whitewashing of several different cultural cuisines. In 2017, the television star posted a food platter on X that included grape leaves, tabouli, hummus, and more, dubbing it "Israeli nite." It sparked a firestorm online, with many users claiming that these were Arabic foods, criticizing Ray for mislabeling them. It even led to some users posting photos of hamburgers and tacos and calling them "Israeli" out of spite. Ray did get some support, however, from viewers who mentioned the fact that these types of dishes are cooked throughout the Middle East — especially since many Jewish people moved from Arab countries and sought refuge in Israel.

Ray stumbled into more problems in 2022 when she shared her recipe for Mexican pozole, a traditional rich, stew-like soup served on holidays and filled with pork, red chiles, and hominy corn. Her take on the dish caused several Mexicans to cringe, calling her version (which included the main protein as beans, along with Fritos, pickled jalapenos, and chili powder) "taco soup" (via Mashed).

Buzzfeed even asked Mexican women to watch Ray cook the pozole, all watching in confusion and disbelief at the star's recipe. "I never put beans in pozole. This isn't pozole," said one woman. That was even worse than when the talk show host burnt the bottom of her refried bean dip after using canned beans to make the popular appetizer — yikes.