In the Wake of ‘Ellen Show’ Controversy, Is Rachael Ray Next? Fans Say Yes
Whether you’re a fan of Rachael Ray or not, the daytime TV personality is a mainstay in the culinary world. The bubbly on-air optimism seems genuine enough but now that The Ellen DeGeneres Show has come under fire for multiple misconduct allegations, some think Ray and her brand are next.
Rachael Ray has a lot of haters for various reasons
No one said it’s easy being a celebrity but it seems there are only two camps when it comes to Rachael Ray: fans and haters. The former supports any cookbook Ray puts out, every episode of The Rachael Ray Show that airs, and all Ray-related interviews with fellow celebrities.
The latter, however, ranges from celebrity chefs to servers at any restaurant Ray has gone. Martha Stewart, Emiril Lagasse, Giada DeLaurentis, and the late Anthony Bourdain have all publicly expressed their dislike of Ray, mostly poking at her lack of culinary expertise.
The Miami New Times noted 10 of the worst tippers. Ray’s voyage apropos of $40 a Day showed that Ray often left very small tips. While that alone doesn’t reveal the kind of person she is when the cameras stop rolling, there are several other instances that allude to her real self, according to viewers.
Professional life aside, events in Ray’s personal life might be slightly more revealing. In 2013, Ray’s aunt Geraldine Dominica Scuderi died in the freezing cold after accidentally locking herself out of Ray’s mother Elsa Scuderi’s house — in which she was housesitting.
The tragedy tore the family apart, specifically when Scuderi’s daughter, Gina Mesnick, told the National Enquirer that Ray. nor her husband John Cusimano, attended the funeral. Instead, Mesnick claimed Ray tweeted about “cats recipes and TV shows.”
“I found it very insensitive and inappropriate,” Mesnick said. “It just shows how demeaning Rachael was to my family on the day we buried my mom after she died under such horrible circumstances.”
Ray’s representatives stated that she was filming for her show during the funeral. That answer didn’t suffice with those already looking for a reason to discredit the Food Network star.
Some noticed a difference in Ray’s personality
The downfall of DeGeneres’s empire may have fans looking for inauthenticity wherever they can find it. In a Reddit thread from October 2019, some say the new version of Ray’s 30-Minute Meals has a whole different feel to it.
“She used to be so peppy and smiley and always pleasant. Now she’s rude, always annoyed and actually just annoying. What’s up with that and why would anyone watch her now?” one Reddit user asked.
“She appears bitter and rushed now. I liked her 15 years ago. Now she seems angsty and flippant. Much better when she was fresh. Who knows what changed her but I appreciate life is hard. Not enjoyable to watch,” another commented.
Others had a real-life run-in with Ray to authenticate the reaction to her apparent changes.
“An acquaintance of mine saw her at an airport a few years ago. Went up to say hello and Rachael Ray was not pleased. Not very pleasant at all. Like, I get it. You’re at the airport. But you’re a tv personality.. people/fans approaching you is going to happen,” this viewer added.
Is there such a thing as ‘The Ellen Effect’?
While Ray isn’t in the kind of hot water as DeGeneres and her team, some think Ray’s “fall” is inevitable. TV personalities aren’t always 100 percent themselves. They’re playing a role for entertainment. Many defend Ray, saying she could be tired or overwhelmed with projects while others say she may not be who she pretends to be on TV.
That said, experts have come out with their opinions on how they think DeGeneres should handle the PR surrounding Ellen Show allegations. What began as a “be kind” mantra quickly disintegrated into behind-the-scenes mistreatment, as many former employees told BuzzFeed News. She has since addressed the claims and fired three producers while Warner Bro. investigates.
Considering how believable DeGeneres has been for 17 seasons, at-home viewers are looking at all TV hosts ‚ including Ray — with a magnifying lens. Only time will tell how The Ellen Show repairs things moving forward but fans hope those like Ray learn a thing or two before tides turn in their direction.
