Remember When Rachael Ray Stripped Down To Her Skivvies For ‘FHM’?
Rachael Ray made a name for herself on the Food Network starring on the popular show 30 Minute Meals, as well as her popular daily talk show. She went on to host the series for 11 seasons and has appeared on numerous cooking shows throughout the years. But many fans forget that Ray once stripped down to her skivvies for FHM. Ahead of the show’s 2019 reboot, Ray opened up about her decision to shed her clothes for the men’s magazine and revealed if she has any regrets about it.
Inside Rachael Ray’s ‘FHM’ photoshoot
In 2003, a publicist for the Food Network contacted Ray about an offer to model for FHM. According to The Huffington Post, Ray hilariously admitted that she thought FHM stood for Food and Home and had no idea it meant For Him Magazine.
Even still, Ray seriously considered the offer and mulled it over with her husband, who had no issues with it.
The Rachael Ray Show star accepted the deal and knew exactly what she was getting into. Although it stirred up a lot of controversy with her fans, Ray has no regrets about taking the photos and would do it again if she had the chance.
“This is the everywoman, here she is. And I thought, what the heck? I asked my husband what he thought of it and he said, oh, kinda cool,” she stated. “And I did it and it was the most scared I’ve ever been, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’d do it again tomorrow.”
While Ray obviously has no qualms about the photoshoot, there was someone close to her who thought it was the wrong thing to do.
Rachael Ray’s mom gets angry
In the same interview, the Food Network star revealed that her mother did not approve of her FHM spread. In fact, Ray admitted that her mom is still mad about the magazine deal and wishes that she had never taken the deal in the first place.
“My mother was furious. Remains furious. You don’t have to do that kind of trash, you don’t need to sell yourself that way, blah blah blah,” she stated.
Ray quickly added that she is still proud of the photos, even though her own mother was against them. She also assured fans that her mom still loves her dearly, despite her decision to pose for FHM.
Luckily, Ray’s career on the Food Network continued to take off following the FHM deal, and a lot of fans of the Rachael Ray Show forgot that it ever happened in the first place. What’s even funnier is that the photoshoot has a random connection to Donnie Wahlberg and his wife, Jenny McCarthy.
Ray reveals what she did right before the photoshoot
In a weird twist of fate, McCarthy is the one who did Ray’s makeup for the FHM shoot. While Ray was confident about doing the project, she did get a little nervous in the days leading up to it.
“I got very drunk the night before and I did sit ups all day,” she stated. “I thought it was a housewares magazine. I didn’t know it was a sexy magazine!”
Ray then noted that one of the reasons she agreed to the FHM shoot is because she wanted to represent normal people and encourage them to be confident with their bodies.
That said, McCarthy assured Ray that she looked totally “hot,” during the shoot, which is quite the compliment coming from her. Rachael Ray may have wanted to be a model for the regular women out there, but she clearly knocked it out of the park.
’30 Minute Meals’ gets a reboot
While Ray looks back fondly at her FHM shoot, she is also excited about rebooting the show that started it all. It has been close to two decades since 30 Minute Meals premiered on the Food Network, and Ray is launching a whole new season for the modern generation.
In a recent interview, Ray revealed that the network approached her first about rebooting the series – in addition to continuing her duties on The Rachael Ray show. Although she has been keeping very busy over the years, Ray could not help but say yes to the project.
“It’s fun to be asked to do something 20 years later and reinvent it for a new group of people,” she added.
Since the early 2000s, fans have been trying to replicate Ray’s 30-minute meals in real-time. Unfortunately, many people have tried and failed to make her dishes in the allotted time.
Even Ray once admitted that they were often rushing like nobody’s business to finish in time, and sometimes they would add a course just to jazz things up a little bit.
But for Ray, it is less about the accuracy and more about cooking an easy meal in the time it takes to watch an episode of your favorite TV show. Sure, it might take you a little over half an hour to do it but being able to relax and take it easy is the whole point.
The Rachael Ray Show airs daily and 30 Minute Meals is now in its second season of the reboot on Food Network.
