Commenters on a recent video featuring Rachael Ray think something was wrong with the celebrity chef, expressing concern...and vitriol. But should people really be worried, or are they just making assumptions?
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00:00Commenters on a recent video featuring Rachael Ray think something was wrong with the celebrity
00:05chef, expressing concern and vitriol. But should people really be worried,
00:11or are they just making assumptions? At the end of August 2024, Ray posted an Instagram
00:16clip from her FYI show, Rachael Ray in Tuscany, in which she's cooking up a delicious polo al mattone.
00:23Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
00:26Unfortunately, very few of the comments are about the dish.
00:30Instead, many focused on some commenters' belief that Ray was slurring her words.
00:34One even took it a step further, writing,
00:42Others made scathing comments about Ray's supposed weight gain.
00:45A few seemed genuinely concerned for her health and feared she may be dealing with an illness.
00:50Ray didn't respond. Instead, she simply posted another clip from her show,
00:55this one of an osso bucco recipe. That comment section was also flooded with similar statements.
01:01One commentator wrote on that one,
01:07Another commenter said that Ray's mouth had always had a natural slant,
01:10but then counter-punched, repeating the contention that Ray had been drinking.
01:14Another even urged her to work on her hair and makeup so she didn't look like she had just
01:18woken up. It's worth noting that people have been theorizing that Ray has substance abuse
01:23issues since she was on Food Network, and have shared those opinions on Reddit and elsewhere.
01:28Some of Ray's fans, though, wouldn't stand for what they saw as rampant speculation about the
01:32host's well-being. One fan defended her by writing that she was allowing herself to age gracefully
01:38instead of trying to alter her appearance with plastic surgery.
01:42Another commenter offered a similar sentiment, writing,
01:49Maybe she is on medication. Regardless, no need to be mean.
01:53Yet another commenter said whether Ray had some drinks or a health condition of some kind is
01:57not fans' business, writing,
02:07Ray's reps didn't even seem to want to dignify the comments with a response,
02:10with one simply telling TMZ,
02:12No comment.
02:14Ray herself has made it clear that she simply doesn't understand why people would want to
02:17comment negatively about someone's appearance. She said on the No Limits podcast in 2018,
02:23I feel sorry for people to do. I just don't think that that's a skill anyone needs.
02:28Why would you put negative energy into the universe?
02:32Ray also told host Rebecca Jarvis that she didn't concern herself with haters because they had no
02:37positive contributions to her life. Instead, she chose to tune into the voices of her fans
02:42because they were the ones who made her the massive success that she is.
02:46Ray said that she wasn't overly concerned with being adored, either,
02:49because she felt tremendous contentment in her professional and personal life.
02:53Ray has been plenty open about her ups and downs in life,
02:56and she has never stated that addiction was a part of it. However, she has been
03:00candid about the speech issues that have led to her distinctive voice sounding like it does.
03:05In a 2006 interview with People, Ray said,
03:08I lose my voice a lot. I had a lot of croup as a kid,
03:11so I don't have the strongest vocal cords to begin with.
03:14In 2008, Ray's rep announced she had to undergo throat surgery to remove a benign cyst on her
03:20vocal cords. At the time, her rep reassured People that it was a minor procedure and she
03:25would be fine in no time. Given all that, it seems like the speculation about Ray's health
03:30is just that — she has always spoken candidly about her struggles whenever she has felt comfortable.