How Rachael Ray Knew Her Husband John Cusimano Was ‘The One’

Rachael Ray and John Cusimano discovered early on that they had a lot in common including a love of music and movies, especially one comedy flick in particular.

by Melissa Mitas

Published on June 17, 2021

2 min read

Rachael Ray and husband John Cusimano named this movie as their favorite comedy

Setting eyes on each other for the first time at a friend’s birthday celebration, Ray described how Cusimano became more appealing as the night went on.

“When I met John, he told me he was a lawyer,” Ray wrote in her book, Rachael Ray 50: Memories and Meals from a Sweet and Savory Life. “But he became more attractive to me when I found out he worked in the licensing and distribution of independent movies. He and I talked almost all night long that first night, and we have talked every day or night since then.”

The couple soon found out they had many mutual interests, such as music and movies. One film title in particular solidified Cusimano’s status as her soul mate.

“Some of the many things we agreed on were our favorite films,” Ray recalled. “The order or ranking varies between us a bit, but I knew he was The One when I said that one of my favorite comedies of all time was… he finished my sentence, Defending Your Life.”

Movies help with insomnia for Rachael Ray and her husband

Ray revealed that when she and Cusimano are having trouble catching some shut eye, they turn to their favorite flicks to destress.

“I’m a terrible sleeper,” the 30 Minute Meals star confessed. “So is John, thankfully or cursedly. Movies help with the insomnia and to quiet our minds. Our familiar old friends, of which we have a catalog of roughly 500, are our bedtime stories.”

Though Ray is an avid reader, she goes for the small screen with her hubby in the evening hours and finds her favorites as a source of comfort.

“Books are for daytime and rainy days,” she explained. “For us, nights are for movies, familiar ones — voices we trust and sentences we’ve heard so many times, we can finish them ourselves.”

Films that make the ‘Favorites’ list for both Rachael Ray and John Cusimano

Films that are “faves” for both Ray and Cusimano include The Godfather I and II, This Is Spinal Tap, Jaws, The Exorcist, and Groundhog Day. The television personality’s penchant for moving pictures could be traced back to her childhood.

“When I was a little girl, I wasn’t into playing with Barbie dolls or dress-up,” she remarked. “What I did like was movies. Whether going to the local theater, a splashy New York City cinema, or watching on our TV at home, I was hooked.”

From the classics to current day productions, Ray considers her love of films as a heartwarming bond she gets to share with her husband. Naturally, their initial date was spent at the cinema.

“Our first ‘alone’ date (our actual first date involved my mom and others) was to see the latest film by my favorite foreign director, Pedro Almodóvar,” Ray wrote. “The place was packed, so we ended up in standing room only and he fed me popcorn.”