It has been a terrible few weeks for celebrity chef Paula Deen. After admitting to having used a racial slur in the past, Deen has watched her empire crumble. Today, she announced that she would be firing her longtime agent, Barry Weiner.
Barry and Paula have quite a history together. The two have worked together for more than a decade and Paula credits Barry with launching her career. Back in 2002, Mr. Weiner was instrumental in convincing The Food Network to launch her very first show, Paula's Home Cooking. Since then (and until lately) Mrs. Deen's career has skyrocketed. Deen went as far as to thank him in her book, Paula Deen: It Ain't All About the Cooking:
"Barry and Gordon felt like there was a show somewhere inside this Paula character that could be very successful. They probably courted Food Network for two years trying to push me at them."
Somewhere along the line, Deen must have had a change of heart, as she released the following statement through her spokeswoman, Elana Weiss:
"Paula Deen has separated from her agent. She and her family thank him for the tireless effort and dedication over the many years."
Unless you have not had access to television, newspapers and magazines, you are aware of the Paula Deen scandal. In case you missed it, we'll do a brief breakdown of the events that lead to the queen of the kitchen's dethroning.
Deen and her brother are being sued by a former manager of one of their restaurants. The woman suing is claiming that Deen and her brother, Bubba, are guilty of sexual harassment and a hostile working environment.
As part of the lawsuit, Mrs. Deen had to testify on video. In the video, Deen acknowledges the fact that she has used racial slurs in the past. Paula responded, "Yes, of course," when asked if she has used the n-word in the past.
This statement, as well as the admission that she was planning a wedding where black people would be dressed as slaves, has virtually killed the celeb's business empire. News quickly circulated about the chef's past statements. Deen tried to address the criticisms herself but failed miserably in doing so.
After a series of awkward apologies and a disastrous morning show appearance, nearly all of her sponsors have dropped her products. Major retailers like Wal-Mart and Target are refusing to sell her cookware and butter. Even her publisher has pulled the plug on her upcoming book, which soared to the top of Amazon following the celeb's backlash.
Deen has even drawn criticism from fellow celebrity chef's. One of her longtime critics, Anthony Bourdain, has had a problem with the chef for quite some time...long before this scandal was reported. Bourdain issued the following statement about Deen, calling her:
"The worst, most dangerous person to America. She revels in unholy connections with evil corporations and she's proud of the fact that her food is f---ing bad for you. If I were on at seven at night and loved by millions of people at every age, I would think twice before telling an already obese nation that it's OK to eat food that is killing us. Plus, her food sucks."
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