Paula Deen’s Past, Present, and Future Featured
- Written By Anne Ollswang
Paula Deen, a Food Network staple, who has served up Southern Cooking to clog the arteries through her television shows and cookbooks is no stranger to controversy. Last year, she admitted that she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2009, while she continued to promote her sugary, deep-fried recipes. She may have managed to squeak out from under the criticism from that hypocrisy, but the latest scandal may be her ruin.
The Food Network star is in hot water amid accusations of using racial slurs and the ‘n’ word. The story begins in 2007, when she was helping her brother, Bubba plan his wedding. On June 19, the National Enquirer reveals Deen’s racial statements. According to court documents related to the lawsuit filed by a past employee, of Paula Deen Enterprises, Deen was asked what servers for the wedding should wear. Her response: “Well what I would really like is a bunch of little n-----s to wear long-sleeve white shirts, black shorts and black bow ties, you know in the Shirley Temple days, they used to tap dance around.” Paula Deen laughed and said “Now that would be a true southern wedding, wouldn’t it? But we can’t do that because the media would be on me about that.” She also admitted to making racist jokes and using the ‘n’ word in other instances.
Paula Deen was invited to the Today show to discuss the issue on June 21. She did not show up for her scheduled appearance. In an attempt to control the damage, Deen, released three separate video apologies, stating the inappropriate language is “unacceptable” and “begs forgiveness”. The first two videos were apologies to the public. The third was an apology to Matt Lauer for her no-show on Today.
The fallout from the scandal has led to skewering on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show http://www.hulu.com/watch/503522, referring to Deen’s problem as Type II racism. On June 21, after Deen failed to show up on the Today show, the Food Network dropped her and cancelled her programs. On June 24, Smithfield drops Deen as a spokesperson. On June 26, Caesars drops the Deen buffets offered in their resorts. The same day, Walmart announced that they will no longer carry Deen merchandise. Even Novo Nordisk, the diabetes product Deen endorses, ended her contract on June 27. Also on the 27th, Target dropped Deen’s merchandise, as did QVC. On June 28, Kmart, Sears, and Walgreens stated they will phase out her products. JCPenney stopped carrying Deen merchandise on the the 28th as well. Deen’s latest cookbook was dropped by publisher Ballantine Books. It seems that companies no longer feel comfortable being associated with Deen.
The question that remains, other than the court decisions, is what will be next for Paula Deen? Will she be forgiven for her inappropriate behavior and racial slurs? Is she truly sorry for what she has done or is she sorry only because of the negative impact it is having on her life? Hopefully, she will learn to respect people of all races and realize that her behavior was truly hurtful to many people who worked for her and were her fans.