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Rachael Ray is happy to be a dog mom — but that doesn't mean she hasn't received harsh criticism for choosing not to have children.
On the Tuesday, November 12, episode of the celebrity chef's I'll Sleep When I'm Dead podcast, Ray, 56, spoke about her decision and the backlash she received because of it.
Talking to guest Bob Harper (former Biggest Loser host and personal trainer), the Rachael Ray Show host got candid with Harper, 59, after he shared that he decided not to have kids and instead focus on his dogs.
Ray responded: "Me too, and boy, did I get bashed for it over the decades."
The cooking legend — who has sparked health concerns over the past few months — has been married to John Cusimano since 2005, and the pair has never had any children. Back in October, Ray mentioned on the podcast that she and her hubby "have huge screaming matches all the time" but see them as "healthy."
In her comments about her love for pups, Ray noted how dogs "never talk back. They always want to hug you," she quipped.
The TV personality explained her dog, Bella, is the one to comfort her when she's feeling down. "For me, if I have the absolute worst day, or I'm sick as a dog, as the expression goes, the thing that makes me feel best is to go home and literally climb into bed under a blanket with my dog," Ray remarked, adding that "it makes you a better human to have an animal."
Ray went on to explain that she can't even comprehend not wanting a furry friend, stating, "I don't understand folks that are not into having an animal in their lives because it just makes you happier and better. And you have all this love in your life all the time, no matter what."
The cooking legend also touched on the experience of losing her and Cusimano's dogs Boo and Isaboo. Boo passed away in 2004, while Isaboo died in 2020. Ray explained a priest came and buried the pups and even gave the couple prayer cards.
Over the years, Ray has made only a couple of comments regarding her choice not to have kids. In 2009, she spoke to ABC's Nightline, and the Wall Street Journal reported that she said, "For me personally, I would need more time to feel like I'd be a good mom to my own child. I feel like a borderline good mom to my dog. So I can't imagine if it was a human baby ... I feel like it would be unfair, not only to the child but to the people I work with."
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