Celebs Who Just Don't Like Rachael Ray

Rachael Ray may be one of the most well-known celebrity chefs of all time, but many other big-name stars reportedly don't get along with the TV personality. Ray has a strong personality, resulting in the cook clashing with many people throughout her life. 

While a guest on "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," a podcast hosted by another chef named Anne Burrell, Ray talked about how she isn't ever concerned much about what other people have to say about her. "Do you ever think about the way people think about you? I don't," she asked Burrell. Also during the podcast episode, Ray addressed the fact that she's an extremely strong person, and she's nothing but proud to be a powerful woman. "You are thought of as a badass in life, and you are. "You're tough. You're strong. I think that it's kind of funny that because you're a tough, strong woman, that you can't be kind and nice at the same time or feminine," Ray declared. "Like, why can't it just be all of those things? And why does it have to feel like a novel concept to have a woman that is all of those kind of things?"

It is a positive character trait to show confidence and strength; however, Ray's polarizing nature has caused her to deal with rifts with many people, including Martha Stewart, David Letterman, and even anti-fans.

One person who seems to be rubbed the wrong way by Rachael Ray is Martha Stewart. During an exclusive conversation with ABC News in 2009, Stewart told the outlet that she read Ray's cookbook, and she did not consider herself impressed. Stewart also ragged on Ray's baking skills during the interview. Well, to me, she professed that she could — cannot bake," Stewart said. "She ... just did a new cookbook which is just a re-edit of a lot of her old recipes ... and that's not good enough for me. I mean, I really want to write a book that is a unique and lasting thing. Something that will really fulfill a need in someone's library."

While these words may have hurt someone else, Ray took the high road and decided to hold her tongue when it came to speaking ill toward Stewart. According to US Weekly, Ray stated that she believed Stewart was truthfully a superior cook to her at that point in time. "Why would it make me mad? Her skill set is far beyond mine," Ray said. "That's simply the reality of it. I'd rather eat Martha's than mine, too."

According to Closer Weekly, as of September 2024, Stewart was one of many who were worried about Ray due to changes in Ray's appearance. A source told the outlet that Stweart "mellowed out in recent years and stopped looking at Rachael as a rival long ago."

David Letterman is another celebrity who did not see eye to eye with Rachael Ray, who confessed to questionable habits. Letterman has stated that he is not fond of celebrity chefs or reality shows involving food because he feels as though it's insensitive to waste food or parade it around when people are starving all over the world. While Ray was a guest on "The David Letterman Show" in 2010, Letterman blew up her spot before she took the stage and understatedly humiliated her with his rant about cooking programming on television. "There's a million different shows on American television, and there's one: 'Cupcake Wars,'" Letter said (via Eater). "You realize there's a billion people in the world starving every day, and there's a group of a**holes having fights over cupcakes."

Ray once again handled the beef well and tastefully and quickly responded to Letterman's jabs by focusing on how educating children about healthy choices works to balance nutrition. "I agree, and I also think that with child obesity you can dramatically lower it at the same time you're battling hunger," Ray said. "When you give kids access to really good quality food and just a bowl of fruit, they'll go for it, they will take it over a cookie." The interview was quite cringey to watch throughout, but Letterman has since issued an apology to Ray. In the late-night show host's apology, he stated the whole debacle on his show was his fault.

The late great Anthony Bourdain is another celebrity chef who didn't appear to be extremely fond of Rachael Ray. Bourdain was critical of Ray for being a spokesperson for Dunkin' because it causes childhood obesity. During an exclusive conversation with Outside (via Page Six), Bourdain expressed that Ray is extremely successful with a brand deal, and was dumbfounded as to why she decided to partner with a company that is not healthy for children when kids look up to her. "She's got a magazine, a TV empire, all these best-selling books — I'm guessing she's not hurting for money," Bourdain exclaimed. "She's hugely influential, particularly with children. And she's endorsing Dunkin' Donuts. It's like endorsing crack for kids."

After Bourdain's critique of Ray's actions, he continues to say negative things about her, and even call her rude and childish names. However, Ray seemed to care for Bourdain despite the uncomfortable words he hurled at her. When Bourdain passed on in 2018, Ray posted a heartfelt memorial to Bourdain. "I'm so grateful for a day in honor of a man I respected very deeply," Ray wrote on X, formerly Twitter, about Bourdain and shared a nice picture. "He was cool and brilliant."

I'm so grateful for a day in honor of a man I respected very deeply. He was cool and brilliant. Over the years we found common ground through humor, music and food. I miss his wit and presence. Singular man.#BOURDAINDAY 🙏🏻 @ericripert @chefjoseandres pic.twitter.com/DnhnIiI4mt

— Rachael Ray (@rachaelray) June 25, 2019

Gina Mesnick, Rachael Ray's cousin, has beef with the celebrity chef because of a family tragedy. In 2013, Ray's aunt and Mesnick's mom, Geraldine Dominica Scuderi, was house-sitting for Ray's mother when the unthinkable happened. The 77-year-old woman locked herself out of Ray's home and panicked. She attempted to get into the home by bashing in a window but it didn't work. Scuderi passed away due to the freezing weather outside, causing Mesnick to never forgive Ray. 

According to The National Enquirer (via The New York Post), Mesnick said that Ray is at fault for her mom's death due to the fact that she never gave the older woman any easy entrance to the home. "My mother is dead today because (the) Ray family neglected her," Mesnic tearfully stated. "I want the world to know the truth about them and just how they treat their own family. ... Mom was paid $300 to house-sit for her sister five days a week — but was never given a key." 

A spokesperson for Ray told the Post, "Rachael and her family were shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic and untimely passing of her aunt in late November." This horrific story is just one part of Ray's tragic real-life story.

Rachael Ray's own fans sometimes resort to attacking her online, making them some of her biggest haters. Also during "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," Ray told host Anne Burrell that she thought an anti-Ray website was absolutely hilarious. The site was dedicated to everything that was negative towards the TV host. "There was a site called 'I hate Rachael Ray' for years, and I was like, at least they're watching!" Burell seemed to think the website was upsetting, but Ray seems to be of the belief that one's haters make them stronger. 

Burrell criticized the person who made the website, believing it to be extremely rude to create something so hateful. "I remember that!" Burrell said regarding the anti-Ray website. "Who would take the time to do that? F***ing loser." Ray then confessed that she was actually quite fond of the hate website because it got people interested in her. "I loved it," Ray declared. "They watched every day!"

Ray may have people who don't like her very much, but she's never not on people's minds, and that's a power in itself.