Rachael Ray partially attributes her professional success to the support of her husband, John Cusimano.
“One of the things that, I think, has been essential to my life and my success over the years has been the partner that I chose,” Ray, 56, said during the Tuesday, November 5, episode of her “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” podcast. “I love my husband, John, and [he] works with me and has built our business and our brand together.”
Not only are Ray and Cusimano, 57, on the same page regarding running her eponymous lifestyle empire but they have a mutual commitment to community service.
“My husband and I didn’t get married until very late in life [at] 37 and 38 years old, but it was very important to me that I marry him because I thought this person could be a true partner in what I believe in and helping people,” she stated. “And building, not a business, but a community.”
During Tuesday’s episode, Ray interviewed famed chef Jacques Pépin and noted it was a “great force” that he was married to his wife, Gloria, for 54 years ahead of her 2020 death.
“I wouldn’t be who I am without Gloria. I mean, she changed my life,” Pépin, 88, told Ray. “She took care of things that I didn’t take care of and she died four and a half years ago, and I still cannot sign a check or know what we have in the bank. … She made it possible for me to do what I did and always supported me whether I was writing a book or doing classes or a cruise. She was always with me.”
Ray subsequently celebrated the pair’s long-lasting connection, likening it to her own relationship.
“I love that you talk about how you were different and brought something to each other because that’s what I love about John,” she told Pépin. “He’s a lawyer and a musician. I’m not a musician [and] I’m certainly no lawyer. I hate reading legal documents and official stuff, but we balance each other in a weird way.”
Ray added, “We allow each other to be open to different worlds. I also think it’s fun to be able to get out thoughts, truthfully.”
Ray, who has been married to Cusimano since 2005, previously revealed how the pair navigate conflicts.
“It’s very hard, especially for hot-tempered or creative or vociferous loud people to be able to just calm it down,” she told Jenny Mollen during an October episode of the podcast. “John and I don’t calm it down ever. We have huge screaming matches all the time, but I think that’s healthy. I really do. And I don’t trust people that are too quiet. … Eventually, I pat him on his ass, or he kisses me on the head, and that’s just sort of it. That’s the apology. It’s just sort of understood.”
To close out her latest podcast episode, the TV chef also sent Cusimano a sweet message.
“Special shout-out to my husband, John ‘The Kuz’ Cusimano, who provides not only the music for our show but he’s been my wingman pretty much every episode of this podcast,” Ray concluded on Tuesday. “I’m using his studio for it. Thank you, honey.”
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