Rachael Ray says she was ‘bashed’ for deciding not to have kids

Ray discussed how her pets had become her family on her podcast I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead

Rachael Ray recalls being ‘bashed’ for decision not to have children (Getty Images for NYCWFF)

Rachael Ray said she was “bashed” in the past for her decision to not have children.

The celebrity chef, 56, got candid with trainer and former Biggest Loser judge Bob Harper on the Tuesday (November 12) episode of her I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead podcast. Both Ray and Harper opened up about their decision to stay child-free, and how their pets have become their family.

“I chose to never have children,” Harper told Ray. “God love all the people that have kids.”

“Me too,” Ray replied, noting that it wasn’t always considered acceptable. “And boy did I get bashed for it over the decades.”

Despite the pressure, Ray—who’s been married to John Cusimano since 2005—has never wavered in her choice to dedicate herself to caring for her dogs. “They never talk back,” she joked, contrasting her furry companions with children. “They always want to hug you. They just bring you a ray of light.”

Ray joked that pets, unlike kids, don’t talk back (Getty Images for NYCWFF)

Her dogs have been her comfort, she added, lifting her through the darkest days. “If I have the absolute worst day or I’m sick as a dog, nothing helps more than going home and crawling under a blanket with my dog.”

But caring for dogs has come with heartbreak too, as she and John have had to say goodbye to beloved pets like Isaboo and Boo. “They were everything to us, and they both lived very long lives,” she reflected, adding that their love taught her about empathy and compassion. Now, with their current dog Bella, she feels a deep connection that she describes as “a continuum of humanity.”

Although she’s faced criticism for her child-free choice, Ray is just as baffled by people who choose not to have pets.

“I don’t understand folks who aren’t into having an animal in their lives,” she said, “because it makes you happier and better. You always have love around you, no matter what.”

The chef shares a home with her husband in New York, which was engulfed in a fire in 2020. At the time, the cooking show host addressed the fire on X.

“Thank you to our local first responders for being kind and gracious and saving what they could of our home,” she wrote. “Grateful that my mom, my husband, my dog… we’re all okay. These are the days we all have to be grateful for what we have, not what we’ve lost.”

In a follow-up tweet, Ray shared that she’d lost her phone in the fire and was using a team member’s phone to post the update. She expressed gratitude for all the well-wishes and support during the difficult time.