CBS Distribution/Everett Collection
EXCLUSIVE: Nationally broadcast daytime talk show from CBS Media Ventures Rachel Ray will come to an end after its current 17th season when it shuts down original production.
“In my 20+ years in television, I’ve had 17 wonderful seasons working in daytime television with Rachel“, Ray said in a statement to Deadline. “However, I have made the decision that it is time for me to move on to the next exciting chapter of my broadcasting career.”
It was a year of seismic changes in the increasingly difficult landscape of daytime syndication, with Dr. Phil, Judge Mathis And People’s Court also set to wrap up their runs this season and other stalwarts The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Wendy Williams Show, Maury, Dr Oz as well as The truth ending within the last 12 months. CBS Television Distribution, which distributes RachelRay, is also behind Dr Phil and two other syndicated programs that ended in the past year, The doctors And Television Daily Mail.
News of the latest cancellation comes the same day. Deadline exclusively reported that Ray has partnered with Intentional Content to launch a new production company Free Food Studios.
“My passions have evolved from the production and syndication model of the talk show format to a platform freed from the traditional rules of distribution…That’s why I look forward to putting all my energies into my production arm recently. announced, Free Food Studios,” Ray said. “Thank you to all of our Rachel the daytime show partners, crew and affiliates, and the wonderful years we’ve all worked together.
Hosted by Ray, Rachel features Ray’s cooking skills, as well as celebrity interviews, expert health and lifestyle advice, makeup segments and musical performances. It debuted in syndication in September 2006, finishing its first season as the No. 1 syndicated tape launched in the 2006-2007 season. For 17 years, Rachel was nominated for 37 Daytime Emmys, winning three times for Outstanding Talk Show.
Rachel Ray was one of the first entertainment programs to resume filming during the pandemic as Ray performed the show from his upstate New York home, with husband, musician John Cusimano, as his sidekick. The two made headlines in the summer of 2020 when their house burned down; Ray spoke about the fire on the show as she moved through the property’s guesthouse. The main house has since been rebuilt.
“When Rachael launched 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 to improve their lives, and attracted beautiful stories about celebrities thanks to her down-to-earth attitude,” said Steve LoCascio, President of CBS Media Ventures. “We are proud to have produced such a successful show with Rachael and her team for so many years. will be missed every day, but we will always be family.
Rachel Ray is distributed and produced by CBS Media Ventures in association with Harpo Productions, Scripps Networks and Watch Entertainment. Janet Annino is executive producer.
CBS Media Ventures’ daytime speaker The Drew Barrymore Show, was recently renewed. The company has achieved success with the Judge Judy library, which got good grades, and tried to do the same with old Dr Phil episodes, which are purchased.