Popular chef Rachael Ray has fans worrying about her health after she showed signs of potential illness in her latest cooking video.
Though not posting as frequently as she used to, the celebrity cook shared a video of her still new show, Rachael Ray in Tuscany, which began airing on FYI after she ended her long-time program, The Rachael Ray Show. On Saturday September 7, her channel shared a video to Instagram that featured Ray cooking her rabbit ragu.
This post did not discuss concerns raised from a previous video in which she appeared to slur her speech and seemed generally unwell. The clip that stirred up debate was posted on September 2. During this video, Ray recalled a time when the late musician Tony Bennett was over for dinner—and she “thought [she] killed” him.
The story goes that Bennett fell on a floor that was newly polished, hitting his head as he went down. The singer was fine, although Ray clearly never forgot the memorable event. And even telling the story later left some people laughing with her while others stoked the fire of concern.
Through comments shared to the video, fans urged the celebrity chef to see a doctor, wondering if she had had too much to drink before the show or if she was having a stroke. Others fired back, saying she could simply be getting older or experiencing side effects of medication.
One diagnosed her as having a “mini stroke,” citing that “part of her mouth seems sinking” and saying the situation “makes me so sad.” Another fan said that Ray was “drunk” and expressed that she “love[s] her.” On the other hand, followers told the naysayers to “please stop” and reminded them that people “get old” and some women “don’t get facework done.”
On September 5, Ray shared a photo—the first since the upsetting video was released—which portrayed a dish of shrimp and chorizo paella. Her team has declined to comment on the health rumors.
The chef is best known for her popular Rachael Ray Show, which first aired to “immediate ratings success” in 2006 and was nominated for multiple talk show and Emmy awards. The end of the program after 17 seasons paved the way for her to run shows in Free Food Studios, which she launched in 2023.
