Rachael Ray On Her Talk Show Ending After 17 Years
Rachael Ray is saying goodbye to The Rachael Ray Show after 17 years. In an interview with ET yesterday (May 4), the 54-year-old TV personality reflected on her talk show run. When the chef began her show back in 2006, she didn’t think that it’d go on for nearly two decades. “Most things last a couple of years, and you’re lucky for that, and then you move on,” she said. “But I’m super grateful. I think the reason we were there is because we have such a great group of people that just kept it real and helped me, let people see themselves as much as celebrities.”
Reflecting On 17 Years
Ray revealed she was most proud of people seeing themselves on the show. She said they tried to show people how “extraordinary their neighbor is and how every person can change the world, and the course of the world, from children to people in their 80s that just do things for their communities that blow your mind. That’s what I care about the most.”
The author also reflected on her favorite celebrity guest, who was “without a question,” Michael J. Fox. Ray called Fox the “most optimistic, coolest person that will just shut you up. He is so cool.” As we previously reported, Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the ’90s. The brain disorder causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination. Rachael said she is “so blessed to know a person that’s that optimistic. That is the entire point of everything I try to do in life.” She also raved about his wife and kids.
Rachael Ray’s Talk Show Legacy
Through her cooking and sharing with people, Ray says it brings her joy to “make everyone feel more optimistic. Period.” The show, she says, was never supposed to be about herself. “The whole point of my work has always been that I wanted people to know that anybody could be a Rachael Ray or even an Oprah. I believe that and I know she believes that,” she said of Oprah Winfrey, who gave Ray her start on TV years ago.
“I want people to see themselves and feel good about themselves,” the television host continued. “That took a whole community of people. I shouldn’t get the credit for that. It took hundreds and hundreds [of people] over these years to bring the messages and the food that I wanted to share with everyone to them. That’s not me, that’s a group of people that had a common purpose.”
