The Biggest Talk-Show Is Coming To An End
Rachael Ray's daytime talk show is ending after 17 seasons.
There seems to be a growing trend of cancellations in daytime syndicated television. A number of long-running shows like The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Wendy Williams Show, The People’s Court, Maury, Dr. Oz, Judge Mathis, and Dr. Phil have either ended in the past 12 months or are wrapping at the end of this season. According to a Deadline article, food television host Rachael Ray’s longrunning long-running daytime talk show Rachael Ray will also be calling it quits after 17 seasons.
In a statement about the show’s ending, Ray had this to say:
My passions have evolved from the talk show format production and syndication model to a platform unencumbered by the traditional rules of distribution. … That is why I am looking forward to putting all my energies into my recently announced production arm, Free Food Studios.
The announcement seems to have been part of a coordinated media release as Ray unveiled that she would be starting her own production company called Free Food Studios in collaboration with Intentional Content, a production company. Intentional Content has produced content for MTV, HGTV, HBO, and Food Network, among others. In addition to Rachael Ray’s own series 30 Minute Meals, they’ve produced series like Food Network’s Slice of Life, HBO Max’s Flawless, and HGTV’s How Close Can I Beach.
Rachael Ray is a daytime television show hosted by Rachael Ray that has run for 17 seasons. Featuring a circular stage and rotating audience seating that allowed live audiences a unique view into Ray’s kitchen, the show featured Ray cooking and interviewing celebrity guests on health and lifestyle tips. The show averaged 2.6 million daily views in its first season, one of the highest counts in daytime television.
With her down-to-earth style of hosting, Rachael Ray is known for bringing accessible, simple cooking recipes that could be used by the everyday home cook. The set of her show resembled a home kitchen, with Ray often sitting and chatting with guests kitchen-table style or while preparing meals. Ray brought in a number of celebrity guests over the course of her shows, including famous names like Jake Gyllenhaal, Reba McEntire, Kate Hudson and Milo Ventimiglia, Bette Midler, Tyra Banks, Salma Hayek, Neil Patrick Harris, among many others.
Rachael Ray had hosted her syndicated television talk show since 2006, but it wasn’t her first. Ray’s 30 Minute Meals television series ran on The Food Network for 11 seasons between 2001 and 2012, and was revived in 2019. On it, Ray shared quick recipes that could be cooked in 30 minutes or less.
Outside of Rachael Ray and 30 Minute Meals, Ray has hosted or appeared in a number of other television series. She hosted her own food and travel series called Rachael’s Vacation on the Food Network, as well as Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off alongside Guy Fieri. Outside of hosting, Ray guest starred as herself in an episode of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, and voiced a character in the children’s animated series Butterbean’s Café on Nick Jr.
Fans of the food expert and television host may be disappointed to hear that her show has ended. Luckily, it seems like her new production company will have content that is sure to interest fans of her show. With Rachael Ray’s tagline being, “We’ll see you when we see you,” she is certain to be sharing her recipes once again sooner rather than later.
