Paula Deen plots a comeback with subscription-based digital network

Paula Deen plots a comeback with subscription-based digital network
(Image credit: Robert Mora/Getty Images)

If a 20-city live cooking tour was phase one of Paula Deen's grand comeback tour, then consider this phase two. The beleaguered cooking empress and queen of butter is launching "The Paula Deen Network," a subscriber-based digital channel scheduled for a September launch. It will showcase what Deen does best: cook with guests in front of an audience.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Deen said while she has received offers to appear back on television, a shift to the web gives her complete ownership of her career and intellectual property. "After much research and talking to our fans, this is what they wanted. They wanted to be able to watch me anytime, anywhere, any place," she said. Subscription pricing hasn't yet been finalized.

Deen fell out of the American public's good graces last year when she admitted to using the N-word, prompting accusations of racism. The fallout included the cancellation of her Food Network show and the loss of several product endorsements.

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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.