Rachael Ray’s popular daytime talk show, The Rachael Ray Show, is coming to an end after 17 seasons on air. Ray, 54, announced her decision to end the show in a statement to People, citing a desire to focus on her evolving passions and her new production company, Free Food Studios.
“I have had 17 wonderful seasons working in daytime television with Rachael. However, I’ve made the decision that it’s time for me to move on to the next exciting chapter in my broadcast career,” Ray said in the statement.
The Rachael Ray Show, which aired on CBS and was filmed in Ray’s home in Lake Luzerne, New York, featured a mix of cooking demonstrations, celebrity interviews, musical guests, pop culture news, and other segments.
“When Rachael debuted her show 17 years ago, she was a game-changer in the daytime space. She made cooking accessible to the masses, taught viewers simple solutions on how to improve their lives, and coaxed great stories out of celebrity guests with her relatable down-to-earth demeanor,” CBS Media Ventures President Steve LoCascio said in a statement to Deadline.
Ray’s new production company, Free Food Studios, will allow her to develop new and upcoming epicurean talent on all platforms. “I am truly excited to be able to introduce and develop new and upcoming epicurean talent on all platforms. That is why I am looking forward to putting all my energies into my recently announced production arm, Free Food Studios,” Ray said in her statement to People.
Ray also thanked her daytime show partners and crew for the “wonderful years we all worked together.”
The final season of The Rachael Ray Show will be the current 17th season, which will stop production at the end of its run. Ray’s decision to end the show comes after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the show to move from its New York City studio to her home in upstate New York.
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