Rachael Ray’s morning talk show is facing legal action from a former employee who claims he was forced out of his job because he suffered from an eating disorder.
Aaron Ferguson, an anorexia, has filed papers at Manhattan’s Supreme Court accusing bosses on Ray’s self-titled show of exhibiting "hostile behavior" and making "vile" comments about him.
Ferguson claims he was forced to quit after being with the show for just under a year because he couldn’t take the atmosphere. His lawyer, William H. Kaiser, says,
"The things that were said in front of my client were hurtful, and once they knew he had a problem with it they should have stopped."
Three employees of the Rachael Ray show have been named in the suit, although the star herself is not stated as a defendant.
Photo by Bauer Griffin
Wow. You guys must be teenagers, as adults, hopefully, wouldn’t be so crass and misunderstanding. What we have here, is called “disparate treatment” in legal terms, and it IS punishable by a federal law the USA has called “The American’s with Disabilities Act.” Where someone works is completely irrelevant. You can’t treat someone disparately, call them names, or even MENTION their disability…at ALL! His eating disorder is listed as a substantial disability, and therefore is covered by law. Evidently the HR department on the Rachel show didn’t do enough sensitivity training with their employees and now they are paying for that mistake. This isn’t high school or home, or the streets, or a social club….this is EMPLOYMENT, and congress has taken a very dim view of predjudice of any kind in its arena. Did I say congress? YES congress…NOT your parents, or your teacher, or your HS principle who’s making the rules…but CONRESS…care to rebel against them? Go ahead…”make their day.” Do what you like on the playground kids, but when you grow up, you better get a grip and hold your tongues or you will find yourself smak dab in the middle of a hard knocks lesson handed down to you by a federal committee. These people obviously didn’t learn this lesson before they entered the work force, and are going to pay a high price for their stupidity. How they think of him or how they view him or why he took a food job with and eating disorder (which we don’t know whether he got the eating disorder before or AFTER he took the job, either way it’s irrelevant), is all mute. It doesn’t matter. It’s not called “whining,” folks…it’s called the law…the FEDERAL law. The right to work in a non discriminate, non disparate work force. Like it? Dislike it? What’s that??? Congress laughing at you? They don’t CARE what you like or dislike…them’s the rules. Ooops…and Rachel Ray is now payin’ the fiddler for thinking he was just “whining.”
I think you mean anoretic, Vera.
Pathetic. Get some freakin’ help for your eating disorder and shut the eff up. If he has food issues than why is he on a freakin’ show that is all about FOOD! idiot!
Thank you, Ellie! I’m so sick and tired of whiners. We should sue him for being so annoying.
It always amazes me the things people sue over.
although I do think that people have become WAAAAY too letigious over the last little bit, I dont think its very fair to judge the person suing unless you know exactly the things that were said. I mean I agree that its not the best idea to have an eating disorder and work on a show about food, but thats also not a justification for people to be nasty to you either.
This guy is a stupid sue happy piece of greedy attention hungry crap. I bet he never told anyone that he was hurt by what they said. Some people can actually joke about these sorts of thing to try to make light of it…but oh well….lets everyone quite our jobs because people hurt our feelers. Great lesson for kids too…say, if there is a bully at your school, just quite going. Idiots.
Wow, this guy has a freakin’ eating disorder. I’m sorry…they may have been cruel, but sometimes that is what it takes. If you have an eating disorder, why do you work on a TV show about FOOD?!