Remember Paula Deen, America’s Southern TV chef? Her Food Network show, “Paula’s Favorite Dishes,” pulled an audience of 1.1 million in 2012 – making it one of the channel’s top-rated programs at the time. Of course, there was also that scandal in 2013, in which Deen admitted in a deposition during a discrimination lawsuit that she “of course” used the N-word before. The lawsuit accused her of even fantasizing aloud about having a “Southern plantation”-themed wedding with Black male wait staff. Right after Deen confessed, the Food Network and the rest of America dropped her and her show. She did apologize, and she even cried on the “Today Show,” but tears were not enough to make most people care. The chef lost brand deals from Walmart, Target, and several restaurants nationwide. Since 2013, Deen has been working to regrow her fanbase and redeem herself in the public eye. She came in ninth on “Dancing With the Stars” in 2015. Nowadays, she’s got a show on YouTube cooking and another cooking book out.
She continues to post recipes on TikTok like she once did on the television screen. Deen has since gained a solid following on TikTok, with one of her latest videos racking up over 2 million views so far. The real catch? It’s not because the food looks good.
According to fans, Deen looks “unrecognizable.” She appears to have lost a noticeable amount of weight, and many on social media attributed this as payback for the n-word scandal. Of course, a 77-year-old won’t look the same as she did during her television prime 15 years ago. But some believe behind her appearance lies another story besides age: Deen shared on TikTok this April that she’s “at home fighting renal cancer.” Her continued fight with Type 2 Diabetes also shines a light on the matter; diagnosed in 2009, it’s a chronic disease caused by either genetics or unhealthy eating habits, according to the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
