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Rachael Ray Admits to a 'Couple of Bad Falls' Amid Fan Concerns
Rachael Ray launched the first episode of her new podcast, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, this week. And although the 56-year-old did not directly address recent fan concerns about an Instagram video that went viral last month in which she appeared to be slurring her words, she did admit to having "a couple of bad falls" recently.
Ray was speaking with her guest, author and influencer Jenny Mollen, when she was asked what she loves the most out of all the things she does. An avid cook, Ray has published dozens of cookbooks, hosted the Food Network series 30 Minute Meals for 11 seasons, as well as her own nationally syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program Rachael Ray, for nearly 20 years until 2023.
"Cooking! I’m a homemaker. I love chores. I love being in the kitchen," she enthused. "I always work with my brain everyday, I’m always writing something, but I really like chores. I like what people consider physical work. I like making dinner, planning dinners, making lists. I love physical labor, helping carry in the wood.
"I’ve had a couple of bad falls in the last couple of weeks, so I haven’t been doing that in a while," Ray continued. "But I love carrying wood—how many pieces of wood did [husband John Cusimano] carry? Can I carry more? I don't say that to John, I say it to myself."
Ray sounded bright and clear during the conversation, nearly two months after the Sept. 2 video that initially drew concern from fans. In the clip, she had regaled her followers with an anecdote about the time she hosted legendary jazz singer Tony Bennett for dinner, and "almost killed him."
"When I pulled out the chair for Tony to sit down for his starter snacks and aperitivo, the chair slid out from under him and he hit his head on my marble counter behind him, and he fell to the floor," she recalled at the time. "I thought I killed Tony Bennett. I thought I killed him, literally. And his wife, Susan—so glorious—she says to me, 'Rachael, he’s fine. He’ll pop back up. Just let him be.'"
Fans quickly chimed in to offer unfounded medical advice replete with wild speculation about her health. In any case, it seems like an isolated incident, if her demeanor on the new podcast is any indication.