In an Instagram video in which she paid tribute to late Tony Bennett by preparing his favorite dish, chef Rachael Ray seemed to be struggling with her speech. Her “slurring” of the words and a portion of her face seemingly dropping concerned her fans. Comments began flooding in with a number of people speculating she has been having problems with alcoholism while others suspected she has had a stroke.
“I think it’s a mini stroke. Part of her mouth seems sinking. When was this????,” one user noted in the comments, while another stated, “She’s aging like the rest of us. Maybe she has a medical condition, maybe she is on medication. Regardless, no need to be mean.” Someone else commented, “It’s obvious something going on and I’d say alcohol based on swollen face and body.”
“One corner of her mouth is much lower than the other. The nurse in me would have her go into be checked for any side effect from a Stroke or Bells Paly. Please make sure to get checked? Life is just too short,” another fan noted.
Others wrote, “She’s drunk… I hope all is well and you just had one drink to many… Praying for you,” and “Can we stop being internet doctors?” another person wrote. “Rachael Ray put in years in this industry. If she’s going through a health issue, let’s wish her well but calling her names or making fun of her is downright terrible. What’s wrong with some of y’all?”
Ray hasn’t commented on the video that was posted in September right away. Instead, she only decided to speak up about it during the debut episode of her I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead podcast.
The 56-year-old opened up about the need to perform household chores, saying, “I’m a homemaker. I love chores. I love being in the kitchen,” adding, “I always work with my brain every day, I’m always writing something, but I really like chores.”
She added: “I like what people consider physical work,” she continued. “I like making dinner, planning dinners, making lists. I love physical labor, helping carry in the wood.”
The chef added that she’s secretly competing with her husband when it comes to chores around the house. “‘How many pieces of wood did John carry? Can I carry more? I don’t say that to John. I just say it to myself,” she said.
Ray then confessed she had experienced “a couple of bad falls” which forced her to take some break from her everyday tasks but she didn’t say what exactly.
Although she didn’t fully address the viral video, she did offer an explanation.
