Tragic Details About Rachael Ray's Husband John Cusimano
If you've been following celebrity cook Rachael Ray throughout her impressive career, then you have likely seen a scruffy, long-haired man occasionally by her side. That's her husband, John Cusimano, and he's been her number one fan since the beginning (even before her syndicated fame on the "Rachael Ray" talk show). Ray and Cusimano tied the knot in 2005 and have spoken very highly of each other and their relationship to the press. "We balance each other, we always have," Ray told People in 2021. However, their time in the limelight hasn't solely been focused on their soulmate status; the public has found flaws in their partnership, so much so that The List compiled some of the biggest red flags in Cusimano and Ray's relationship.
As an active musician, it's clear that Cusimano is comfortable living in the public eye, but thanks to his wife's multimillion-dollar business — making her one of the wealthiest Food Network stars — Cusimano has been dogged by publicity, and it's not always positive. He has not only come under fire for his marriage to Ray, but has also been at the center of scandalous speculations. On top of that, Cusimano has tragically lost loved ones, homes, and even dreams of superstardom.
John Cusimano's biggest music aspirations didn't pan out
John Cusimano wears many hats in his professional life. He's an entertainment lawyer in New York City who moonlights as the lead singer of the band, The Cringe. However, according to Rachael Ray, Cusimano dreamed of becoming a rock star and a household name, but ultimately took the safe route. In a 2020 interview for the former "Rachael Ray Show" website (via Country Living), Ray revealed that her husband was accepted into Berklee College of Music but decided to pursue law school to ease his family's worries about an unstable career in music. "His parents told him cautiously that it's better to have a trade," she said, noting that he is a skilled multi-instrumentalist.
Though Cusimano hasn't said much about his yearning for music stardom, Ray knows he'd rather be selling out arenas than performing as the opener. On a 2024 episode of her podcast "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," Ray told guest Jeremy Sisto that her husband was convinced he could have become the next biggest rock star. "He's still a working musician and I know how much that means to him, but it's also a bit of a heartbreak for him because he really feels like he could've been Trent Reznor," she said, referring to the Nine Inch Nails musician. "He'll call me from the road when he's on tour with one band or another, and he'll say, 'I just wish I was the headliner. I wish I was up there tonight.'"
John Cusimano has been the subject of tabloid fodder
Rachael Ray's name has always been in the headlines, but the media once spread the nastiest rumor that came for Ray's love life — and it had to do with her husband's alleged extramarital activities. A 2013 report from the National Enquirer claimed that John Cusimano was an avid visitor of Checkmate, an exclusive Manhattan night club that, per its website, "specialize[s] in creating a fabulous, seductive and sensual environment for like-minded couples and female friends to play and explore their sexual pleasures." An insider reportedly told the Enquirer that Cusimano had been spotted at the club as much as six times, and with at least one woman who was not Ray (via the Daily Mail). He was rumored to have frequented the NYC venue both before and during his marriage to the TV cook.
A spokesperson for Ray told Fox News at the time, "This is yet another pack of lies printed by the National Enquirer who have been targeting John and Rachael for several years with no merit." The rep noted that the rumor was so disruptive that Cusimano was considering suing the publication for defamation. The aftermath of the speculations about Ray and Cusimano's marriage had already been taking a toll on the cookbook author; she told her 2007 talk show audience (via People): "Everybody gossips ... but this stuff is hurting people's feelings who are in our families and friends of ours."
People speculate marital turmoil between Rachael Ray and John Cusimano
John Cusimano's swing club rumors weren't the last time people speculated about his relationship with Rachael Ray. Strange details about their marriage have led the public to question whether their relationship is long-lasting. During an October 2024 episode of "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," Ray admitted that she gets into "screaming matches" with Cusimano, telling guest Jenny Mollen: "John and I don't calm it down ever." An insider later told Closer Weekly that friends started to worry about Ray's "blood pressure" after learning how she and Cusimano settle disputes. "They're together all the time, and that's part of the problem, plus they're both bullheaded," said the source. "They get on each other's nerves a lot and argue at the top of their lungs."
The source also noted that part of their ritual is to regain composure in separate rooms instead of exchanging apologies. Ray once opened up about needing space from her husband from time to time. In a podcast episode with Billy Crudup, Ray said, "I am very, wildly, wildly, wildly lucky that I have my husband, but he understands I need my space, he needs his space." She added, "John and I largely stay in separate corners." Ray has always been adamant that their habits are healthy for their relationship, despite what the public may think.
John Cusimano lost multiple family homes
Rachael Ray and John Cusimano endured their greatest trials in 2020. Not only did the couple, like the rest of the world, have to quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic, but in the summer of that year, Cusimano and Ray suffered a devastating loss. They explained it on the Season 15 premiere of the "Rachael Ray Show," telling their virtual audience that on August 9, 2020, a fire raged through their Lake Luzerne, New York property, reducing their home and all their belongings to ash. "I could hear the fire in the walls. I could hear electricity. I could hear danger," Ray said. Cusimano added, "We literally were just watching our house burn and burn and burn. It wouldn't stop. You know, you're just thinking, 'Oh God, what's going to be left?'"
Unfortunately for the couple, it wasn't the end of their tragedy. Just over one year later, Ray and Cusimano's New York City apartment succumbed to extreme flood damage after Hurricane Ida. "Literally every speaker in the ceiling, the fireplace, every seam in the wall," she told People in 2021 of the damage. "It was like the apartment just literally melted, like in 'Wicked' or something." However, Ray has admitted that her marriage after the house fire and flood is now centered on gratitude for what they do have.
John Cusimano lost his mother in 2024
John Cusimano was hit with another heartbreaking loss in 2024; this time, he had to say goodbye to a loved one. In March 2024, Cusimano shared the news on Instagram that his mother had unfortunately passed away. He wrote a touching caption in her honor. "My Mom was so cool. She was a bad ass and a force of nature," he said. "I miss her so much. RIP Victoria Cusimano." Ray reposted her husband's social media tribute on her own Instagram Story, spotlighting one of the photos Cusimano posted, which featured him, Ray, and her mother-in-law, dressed in formal attire and holding glasses of champagne (above). "My mother-in-law, Vicki, will be greatly missed," Ray wrote, adding a broken-heart emoji (via The U.S. Sun).
According to her obituary, Cusimano's mother was 80 at the time of her death. "Vicki enjoyed the arts, especially Broadway, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends," it read. Along with Ray and Cusimano, Vicki is survived by her husband and Cusimano's dad, Andrew, and her other son (Cusimano's brother), Andy, among other loving family members.