Paula Deen is in serious hot water after she admitted to using the N-word on several occasions, making racist comments and jokes, and even trying to get black people to dress up as slaves for an antebellum-themed wedding.
Deen has been the subject of many controversies during her day, but this one may be the one to take the cake.
She has branded her cooking career around her persona of a lovable chef from the South, but it seems as though her Southern ways may dig a little further back into history than most of her viewers would like.
The May 17 deposition where she made the alleged admissions is part of a $1.2 million lawsuit brought by Lisa Jackson, the former manager of a Savannah, Georgia, restaurant run by Deen and her brother Bubba Hiers.
Jackson alleges in the suit that Deen used the N-word at the restaurant and that Hiers sexually harassed her, according to Foxnews.com.
Deen tried to defend herself by saying that the incidents happened a long time ago.
When the lawyer asked the Southern-style cook if she ever used the N-word she said, “Of course.”
While she said she couldn’t remember many specific situations when she used the word, she did remember using it when a black man robbed a bank where she used to work.
“It was probably when a black man burst into the bank that I was working at and put a gun to my head,” Deen said. “…the gun was dancing all around my temple… I didn’t – I didn’t feel real favorable towards him.”
She then explained that she never used the N-word during the robbery. It wasn’t until she got back home to her husband that she used the questionable language as she related what happened.
After admitting that she had used the N-word again after that incident, she pointed out that she would never use it now.
“But that’s just not a word that we use as time has gone on,” Deen said. “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 also admitted that she tried to have black people dress up as slaves for a Civil War-themed wedding.
When the lawyer began questioning the 66-year-old cook about the “very Southern plantation wedding,” she admitted that she was inspired by the outfits that black waiters wore at a Civil War-themed restaurant.
It only took a few extra questions to get her to admit that she did believe the waiters were dressed as slaves and that she did wanted the same type of costume used in the Southern wedding.
Early in the deposition, Deen revealed that she had no problem telling racist jokes, adding that much of today’s humor is based on stereotypes of other races.
“It’s just what they are, they’re jokes,” she said before being asked if she would ever consider using the N-word in a mean way.
“That’s – that’s kind of hard,” she said. “Most – most jokes are about Jewish people, rednecks, black folks. Most jokes target – I don’t know. I didn’t make up the jokes.”
Deen isn’t the only member of her family who is in hot water.
Her brother Bubba Hiers is also a part of the lawsuit, accused of sexual harassment.
Deen didn’t see anything wrong with her brother’s behavior and claimed that his inappropriate actions should be forgiven.
“My brother and I had conversations,” she said. “My brother is not a bad person. Do humans behave inappropriately? At times, yes. I don’t know one person that has not. My brother is a good man.”
While the controversy certainly isn’t the best type of publicity, it probably won’t impact Deen’s ratings very much.
Her Southern style cooking show has a unique niche and her viewers may not actually be offended enough by her use of the N-word to stop tuning in to the program.
Many older white women from the South have had their own personal experiences using the N-word and will probably be quick to forgive Deen for ever using it, even if they don’t condone the use of the word now.
Crazy help blacks can use the N word the white people can't
Don't buy anything.
Never did
I have never seen so many weak people who are offended about the use of a word, not that the word is nice to say, but the N word she said was way back when Paula Deen worked in a bank a long time ago before she got famous, and how ignorant of the weak public to become someone's judge over a WORD. What do they do if they hear someone walking down the street say it or a person riding on a bus say the N word, are they going to judge them also and demand apology and stalk and follow that person to their job and demand their boss to fire them because you caught them saying the N word. How childish if words hurt people that much. They really need mental help and should be locked away in a padded room by themselves if words make them offended that bad. Paula Deen got famous for her great southern food, not her language. Even if I got offended over the word used, I would still love to see her cooking the good food, because the food and the one cooking it is what it is all about. If a singer that I absolutely love their music said something offensive, I would still like their music, because a WORD should not make or break someone. There might be things that every single person in the world does that offends someone, like said the B_ _ _ _ H word or the C_ _ T word, the S_ _ T word or even the H word of H_ NK_Y and so on, do we judge them and automatically hate that person over a word and if so, then that would make you the racist because of your actions, when the one using the word might have real close friends that are the B, C or S words. Racist word, especially someone with a gun to your head, there is no telling what all would be said if any of us had that happen to us and you were telling someone about what happened. The actions of how you treat people of another race, like refusing to allow a certain race in a restaurant, or do not hire a certain race for workers, or have any friends of a certain race, that is a racist. Just saying an unacceptable word is not a racist. I do not say it, but I live in the deep south and I do here it occasionally from people in their 60s through 80s like in the grocery store, but at the checkout there would be a black lady as the cashier and that old person would be just as friendly and nice to them and thank them again and tell them to have a good day. The old person would never actually get in a black person's face and call them that word, mostly hear them talking with a friend or relative with them. I'm pretty sure those old people's parents said it a lot and they were brought up saying what they hear all the time and probably got into the habit of saying it and never stopped. I never hear anyone my age of 43 or lower say it and when I hear it in public, I just ignore them, because I am not their judge. Even when a black guy got beat in pool when I double banked the 8 ball on him and won the game, that did not even have a bet on it, but it caused a crowd and cheering, the black guy got upset over my win and he called me the N word LOL and I just said bastard and we both walked off.
Racists words should not be used by any group, it is racist to say one group can use a word but not another. People want respect but choice language such as the N'word, that shows lack of intelligence hands down by anyone who speaks like that ever, even if with just their friends. Find equality by actually being equal in all ways,
The media has been after Paula for a long time.I refuse to praticapat in this whole politcly correct BS myself ever since liberal elitist started pulling the race card our country has been in a downward spiral.somebody tell me why it's ok for black people to say cracker Honky white bitch and niger but god forbid a white person use it. Never apologize for being you. F–kem if they can't take a joke.
Spell and grammar check for the "journalist."
She did not disrespect the black guy she was telling her husband about. Paula Deen did not call the black guy that had a gun to her head the N word. People should not do a lot of things, like text and drive, drink and drive, steal, kill, break any other of the ten commandments, but people do. Freedom of speech is still freedom of speech. Paula would never disrespect someone to their face by calling them the N word or they would probably depending how weak the person is that got so offended and be willing to fight over a name calling, which name calling is childish. What next, are they going to have racial monitors all over this country to prevent each race calling each other a name.
So blacks can call each other n***** but when white folks do it it wrong… double standard, i think so.
Get over it….Paula Deen is amazing and is also human we all are guilty of making or sayin offensive things! I love u Paula Deen!
Angela Segura I've certainly never used a racial slur…and regardless of whether or not Anna has in the past, no one should be using them now. It's really, really sad to me that someone thinks not using racial slurs ever is a difficult, impossible, or unnecessary feat.
I'm not trying to anger you or offend you or accuse you of anything, but I wanted to offer my opinion on this matter, because I think it is important and should be discussed by fellow humans.
I don't think it's weak to feel offended over a word that represents a tragic part of history. No one would be upset if she had simply name-called. She wouldn't get fired over saying, "WOW YOU ARE SUCH A MEAN-FACED POOP-HEAD" to a black person that was robbing her. People are upset because she admitted to using a word that white people used to use against an entire race that they saw as below-human. We are still healing from that part of history, so it's not okay to use that word. Plus, I think most people are more upset over her comments on the black-server wedding thing than her use of the N-word.
I read your comment more closely, and I think that what you are missing is that "bitch" or "cunt" or whatever are *way* less offensive than the N-word. They are just arbitrarily hurtful, whereas the N-word has a full-on, extremely tragic, totally-unfair and shameful-for-humanity history. The connotation with one specific race being enslaved and abused and made to feel lesser is what makes the N-word worse. If Paula had called someone a "cunt," I would totally view her getting fired as complete bullshit.
I hope I don't offend you. I just wanted to point out like, why people are upset. Because the reasons are slightly but significantly different from what you think they are.
Also, I don't think anyone should use the word, not just white people. But I do think it's worse for white people to use it because of their role in that part of history. Just to clarify. Like, I think no one should say it, but *especially* not white people, lol.
I believe the N word is horrible… it is hard to wipe it out of society though because so many black people use it to comment to each other… just as white people comment to each other as crackers or other rude words.. And about the costumes.. that is what they were.. in a musical (for example show boat) people dress up in ways to represent the time and the place… not for offense but for authenticity.. i see nothing wrong with it..
Niggah please
you must be a saint, however you don't hesitate to use the word "cunt". I find that utterly vile and disgusting.
Melanie Mayne Why is it the current generations are being punished for what our ancestors did? Also, a lot of us (me included) do not even have ancestors who were here during that time. So we continuously have to be judged and punished for people hundreds of years ago enslaving African Americans? So,essentially we are being punished for the color of OUR skin. Why can't we learn from the past and move on finally? The whole country would be better if we did. "You can not move forward if you are still looking behind you."