A once-beloved television personality, Paula Deen has been trying to win back people's hearts after a highly upsetting series of racist revelations a few years back. Here's a look through the entire scandal.
Deen Admits to Using Racial Slurs
June 19, 2013 — While she was being deposed during a lawsuit brought against her by Lisa Jackson, the former general manager of her Savannah, Georgia restaurant Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House, Deen admits to using the n-word in the past: “Yes, of course."
During the same deposition, she also says "that's just not a word that we use as time has gone on. Things have changed since the '60s in the south. And my children and my brother object to that word being used in any cruel or mean behavior. As well as I do."
Deen Allegedly Wanted Black Employees to Act as Slaves
June 19, 2013 — Jackson also claimed Deen wanted her African American employees behave a certain way during a wedding Deen was planning. “I mean, it was really impressive. That restaurant represented a certain era in America … after the Civil War, during the Civil War, before the Civil War … It was not only black men, it was black women … I would say they were slaves," Radar quoted Deen as saying about the party during a deposition.
A rep for Deen later told TMZ: "Ms. Deen does not condone or find the use of racial epithets acceptable. She is looking forward to her day in court.”
Footage of Deen Sympathizing With Slave-Owning Ancestors Re-Emerges
June 21, 2013 — After the deposition, the HuffPost re-visited a TimesTalk Deen did in 2012. In it, she said “black folk were such integral part of our lives [during the Civil War], they were like our family" and referred to African Americans as "these people" and "workers."
Food Network Does Not Renew Her Contract
June 21, 2013 — In the wake of the lawsuit, the Food Network confirms they would not be renewing Deen's contract. Her show Paula's Home Cooking came to an end after being on the air for 14 years.
At the time, she issued a statement to CNN saying "I have had the pleasure of being allowed into so many homes across the country and meeting people who have shared with me the most touching and personal stories. This would not have been possible without the Food Network. Thank you again. Love and best dishes to all of ya'll."
Michael Twitty's Response to the Scandal Goes Viral
June 25, 2013 — Twitty — a black, Jewish food scholar — wrote an incredibly powerful response to the Deen fallout that resonated across America:
"I find it hard to be significantly angry at you when during the last election the re-disenfranchisement of the Negro — like something from the time of W.E.B. Du Bois was a national cause celebre. Hell, today the voting rights act was gutted and I’m sure many think this is a serious win for “democracy.” If I want to be furious about something racial — well America — get real — we’ve had a good twelve years of really really rich material that the National media has set aside to talk about Paula Deen. Yes Paula, in light of all these things, you are the ultimate, consummate racist, and the one who made us fat, and the reason why American food sucks and ... you don’t believe that any more than I do. "
Deen Appears on the 'Today' Show
June 26, 2013 — In a tear-filled segment, Deen tells Matt Lauer "I am not a racist."
Other Allegations of Racism at Her Restaurants Emerge
July 24, 2013 — Dora Charles, a longtime employee of Deen's, tells the New York Times Deen wanted her to dress in an Aunt Jemima-style outfit and have her ring a bell when food was ready. “I said, ‘I’m not ringing no bell. That’s a symbol to me of what we used to do back in the day.”
She Abruptly Closes Her Restaurant
April 3, 2014 — The Savannah Morning News reported Uncle Bubba's employees were given no warning before learning they'd lost their jobs.
She Returns to the 'Today Show' to Explain What She's Learned
September 23, 2014 — Deen sits down with Lauer again to discuss being one year out from the original scandal and after a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit against her. “I don’t know that woman, and when I see things like that, I’ll run from the room,” she said of the original Today Show appearance. “I have to say it took me a while because I was confused as to the length of time since that kind of … those words had been part of a language." She also says the story of her past year may "require [writing] another book."
She Posts a Photo of Her Son Seemingly in 'Brownface'
July 7, 2015 — In a picture of her and her son Bobby dressed as Lucy and Ricardo (who was of Latino descent), Bobby appeared to be painted several shades darker, prompting many to say he'd used "brownface." Deen removed the photo from her social platforms shortly after.
Deen Returns to Television ... but Not With the Food Network
January 16, 2018 — Deen premieres a new show on RFD-TV called Positively Paula. There, she's reportedly been trying out some healthier, vegan recipes.
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