Deen and her brother, Bubba Hiers, own a dining establishment called Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House, where, according to a lawsuit by former restaurant manager Lisa Jackson, they created a work environment simmering with casual racism and sexual innuendo.
When Jackson's attorney asked Deen whether she had ever used the N-word before, she replied, "Yes, of course," adding, "It's been a very long time."
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Paula Deen Enterprises later released a statement saying, "To be clear, Ms. Deen does not find acceptable the use of this term under any circumstance by anyone nor condone any form of racism or discrimination."
So, what other offensive or just plain weird things has she said in the past? Grab a stick of butter, y'all, it's time to delve into the mind of Paula Deen.
On potential servers for her brother's wedding
"The whole entire wait staff was middle-aged black men, and they had on beautiful white jackets with a black bow tie. I mean, it was really impressive. And I remember saying I would love to have servers like that, I said, but I would be afraid that someone would misinterpret (it)." [Associated Press]
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On healthy snacks for her grandson, Jack
"I keep butter balls around my house in a butter dish and Jack eats them like they're mints." [Grub Street]
On her legacy
"When you hear the name Paula Deen, I don’t want you to think of the word 'butter.' I want you to think of the word 'hope.'" [Huffington Post]
On her unique relationship with Gordon Elliott, her producer
"Gordon tells me not to edit myself. You know, he’s my puppet master. He sticks his hand up my bleep and makes my mouth move." [Orange County Register]
On God telling her to make her diabetes public, right after accepting a multimillion dollar deal to sponsor a diabetes drug
"To say I'm a very religious person, I can't say that, because I don't go to church. But I'm a very spiritual person. I knew that the opportunity to share would present itself." [Huffington Post]
On how to cope with diabetes
"You can have diabetes and have a piece of cake. You cannot have diabetes and eat a whole cake." [Gawker]
Keith Wagstaff is a staff writer at TheWeek.com covering politics and current events. He has previously written for such publications as TIME, Details, VICE, and the Village Voice.
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