Paula Deen's N-Word Controversy Explained
Deen admits to using the N-word, plus more shocking remarks.
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Controversy Surrounds TV Cooking Queen - The fallout keeps on coming after the 133-page transcript of Paula Deen's testimony at a recent deposition, made public this week, in which she admitted to using the N-word among other controversial statements. The deposition stems from a $1.2 million discrimination lawsuit from a former employee, in which Deen and her brother, Earl “Bubba” Hiers, are named. Keep reading to see some of Deen's most questionable comments. -- Britt Middleton (Photo: AP Photo/Carlo Allegri, File)
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On Using the N-Word - When asked if she had ever used the N-word, Deen answered, "yes, of course." She explained after a "Black man" burst into the bank she was working at and held a gun to her head, she used the word later when telling her husband about the incident. "I didn’t feel real favorable towards him," she said. (Photo: WENN)
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Other Instances - Deen said it's "been a long time" since she's used the N-word, but she said she probably used it at some point when repeating a "conversation between Blacks." She added, "But 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." (Photo: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)
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Racist Jokes - Deen explained that non-offensive ways to use the N-word include repeating a conversation heard between staff in the kitchen or in the form of a joke. She admitted that her husband and other family members occasionally tell racial jokes at home. (Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Photo By Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
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A "Southern Plantation Wedding" - Lisa Jackson, the former employee who filed the lawsuit, alleges that when describing the type of wedding Deen wanted to throw for her brother, the TV cook said she wanted "a true Southern plantation" theme, adding that she "would really like is a bunch of little n----rs to wear long-sleeve white shirts, Black shorts, and Black bow-ties, you know in the Shirley Temple days, they used to tap dance around.” (Photo: WENN)
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An Idea Misinterpreted - Deen denied that she used the N-word to describe the waiters in the deposition and said she was actually reimagining a restaurant she visited where "the whole entire wait staff was middle-aged Black men, and they had on beautiful white jackets with a Black bow tie." Deen added how "impressive" it was, adding, "I would love to have servers like that, I said, but I would be afraid somebody would misinterpret." (Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)
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Black vs. African-American - Deen said that when telling Jackson about the waiters, she used the word Black to describe them as she doesn't "usually use African-American." "I try to go with whatever the Black race is wanting to call themselves at each given time. I try to go along with that and remember that," she said. (Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)
Photo By Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images
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An Apology Offered - In a YouTube video posted Friday, the TV chef apologized for "the wrong that I've done." "I want to learn and grow from this," she continued. "Inappropriate and hurtful language is totally, totally unacceptable. I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way but I beg you, my children, my team, my fans, my partners, I beg for your forgiveness.” Hours later, the Food Network announced that it will not renew Deen's contract at the end of the month. (Photo: Courtesy Paula Deen via Youtube)