How Tall Is Rachael Ray's Husband? His Height Played A Strangely Important Role In Their Romance
Rachael Ray and her husband, John Cusimano, have known each other since before Ray made her stunning transformation and became a Food Network star. It was 2001, and Cusimano was unaware that Ray was on the cusp of a huge career transition. "I had filmed a bunch of shows but I had never been on TV," Ray explained on her podcast, "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead." "When we met, he had no idea what I did." Ray had authored cookbooks at this point, but Cusimano don't know about them. Instead, he was drawn to Ray due to a more basic attribute: her height.
They were at a party for a friend they both knew, and Cusimano felt like the odd one out due to the other guests being taller than he was. When he spotted Ray, Cusimano noted her shorter stature. "So I like to say we saw each other among a sea of knees," he said to "The Rachael Ray Show" website (via Country Living).
According to CelebHeights.com, Ray is five feet, 2½ inches. Info on Cusimano's height is a bit murkier. Some sources contend he's five feet, four inches. However, one AOL article claims Ray's a bit shorter (five feet, one inch), and that there's a six-inch difference between them, with Cusimano measuring five feet, seven inches. Either way, they're both shorter than the CDC's average heights for men and women. Numbers aside, when Ray's shoes have a slight heel to them, she and Cusimano seem closer in height and more comparable in size. Most of the time, however, Ray is visibly a few inches shorter than her husband.
Ray and Cusimano were previously reluctant to date each other
When discussing how she met her husband, John Cusimano, Rachael Ray doesn't try to make it sound like everything was smooth sailing from the start. The host of the party they were attending had previously aspired to play matchmaker. However, seemingly before the two of them ever met, Ray and Cusimano were skeptical. "We thought that we were so different from this person that neither one of us would actually like the other," Ray explained on a 2020 episode of "The Rachael Ray Show."
After they started a conversation, Cusimano almost blew his chances with Ray after he launched into a description of a complicated meal he'd recently cooked: tilapia with fresh tomatillo salsa and Maque Choux (a flavorful corn-based dish). While Cusimano may have been trying to impress Ray with his culinary skills, she jumped to conclusions. "And I thought he was gay," Ray admitted on "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead." "There's no way a straight guy knows what tilapia is." Fortunately, the misunderstanding was cleared up quickly, and Ray pivoted to expressing romantic interest.
The pair's connection has been going strong ever since, and Ray's mentioned how much they continue to enjoy each other's company. Although their friends have expressed concern for Ray and Cusimano's tendency to scream when they're angry, the Food Network star contends this dynamic works for them.