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Rachael Ray was once one of Food Network’s most in-demand stars, but her career has slowed down considerably over the past few years. Paired with the onset of health problems, Ray’s life at present has prompted the question — what happened to her?
At her height, Ray, who’s worth a jaw-dropping $100 million, helmed “The Rachael Ray Show” and released several cookbooks — including 2019’s “Rachael Ray 50: Memories and Meals from a Sweet and Savory Life: A Cookbook” and 2021’s “This Must Be the Place: Dispatches & Food from the Home Front.” During a 2018 chat with ABC News’ Rebecca Jarvis, Ray reflected on the projects she’d put her stamp on and the hard work she put in to make them successful. “I never want to do something, or touch something, or go on an adventure that I don’t feel is plausible for our readers or our customer or our viewer to be a part of. We’re not about things that you can’t touch, jump and do,” she explained. On achieving her dreams? “To me, the American Dream is very much alive. If you work harder than anybody else and you don’t complain about it, opportunity will shine on you.”
Unfortunately, Ray’s star seems to have dimmed in recent years, and her decline seems to have started once she said goodbye to “The Rachael Ray Show” in 2023.
Rachael Ray has faced a few setbacks
Although her next chapter is still unfolding, Rachael Ray’s current phase doesn’t seem as glittering as her first by a long shot. For example, in February 2025, Ray posted an Instagram video that fueled rumors about potential health issues. As she cooked up fajitas to promote her new Hulu show, she went completely off-script and delivered some very interesting dialogue. “Look, I’m Princess Leia,” she said, referring to the popular “Star Wars” character (via Daily Mail). She also attempted to rename fajitas something more whimsical, but that only highlighted her, umm, eccentric sensibilities. “I think these should be called fun-jitas,” she continued. “Because it makes you want to have fun.”
If you try hard enough, you could chalk the former video up to Ray’s extroverted personality shining through. However, she already had a pattern of concerning behavior. Earlier in the year, Ray supposedly slurred a few of her words while filming “Rachael Ray in Tuscany,” prompting fans to inquire about the source of the issue. Unfortunately, the beloved cook’s fans never got any concrete answers about what caused the fluxes in her speech pattern, but she did inform them about another health problem she’d had to face. Taking to her “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” podcast, Ray revealed that she’d taken a couple of tumbles in recent times, though she didn’t connect the falls to her speech issues.
Unfortunately, Ray has faced more tragedy. While explaining her infrequent public appearances to Appetito Magazine in the spring of 2024, the beloved star detailed the misfortune she’d faced. “Well, my dog died, and then my house burned down, but I went back to work immediately after the fire in borrowed underwear,” she said. Ever the survivor, she’s since rebuilt her home, and if history is any indication, she’ll be able to persevere through her other setbacks as well. Fingers crossed!
