Rachael Ray Revealed That Her Daytime Cooking Show Is Ending

All good things come to an end, but it's never easy. Some things, especially trivial and harmless things, seem to be forgotten and thrown into the background; a kind of cultural white noise. Maybe we're so used to them that we can't wait for the day when the cameras stop rolling and the new episodes stop. Then they leave.

TV shows can be like that. You have become a follower of Ace of Cakes. Maybe you weren't. However, if you were a fan of the cooking show and happened to watch a radio station that aired it, you probably caught bits and pieces here and there to realize it was a TV show. But one day the new payments stopped. Another era of television is coming to an end. According to Ray's statement (via Variety ), Rachel Ray has announced that The Rachel Ray Show will end after its 17th season. Although not Ray's first show, it was a fairly long-running show, and its syndication status opened it up to an audience it couldn't reach with its previous cable shows.

The Rachel Ray Show walked out the door. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the ratings for her debut in 2006 were the highest in four years. Although the show started off with three Daytime Emmy Awards during its run, according to Variety, viewership has dropped significantly in recent years. The final episodes may air in May, the month Rachel Ray will be inducted into the Broadcast and Cable Hall of Fame.

All of these accomplishments are a far cry from her days as a pastry chef at Macy's. Even more surprising, Ray told Tasting Table in an exclusive interview, "I found my way in this world by accident." When she started teaching cooking classes that led to 30-minute meals on the Food Network, she was trying to increase product sales at Cowan & Lobel, where she worked at the time. However, Ray is not done with his media presence yet, and this time it is not by chance. Announcing the end of his show, he explained: "My passion has shifted from the production and syndication model of talk shows to a platform unencumbered by traditional distribution rules... Free Food Studios announced the production team."

Read next: Rachel Ray's top cooking tips for home cooks