Who are Paula Deen’s sons, Jamie and Bobby – and what happened after her fall from grace?
- They’re the first family of Southern-style cooking, but a string of scandals rocked the Deens to their core … here’s what they’re up to now
Paula Deen, the queen of old-fashioned American comfort foods, has had her fair share of ups and downs over the course of her expansive career.
In fact, even after the media firestorm that saw her lose multimillion-dollar endorsement deals, she’s still worth a respectable US$12 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Here’s what you need to know about the Deen family …
Paula Deen’s downfall
Once upon a time, Deen was an American sweetheart famous for her calorie-heavy Southern-style dishes – but her squeaky-clean reputation suffered a dramatic collapse in 2013 when she was sued for racial and sexual discrimination. Although the judge dismissed the lawsuit, Deen admitted in her deposition that she had used the N-word in the past, leading to a widespread public backlash, per CNN. The disgraced chef lost major deals with the likes of Food Network, Walmart, Target and Home Depot, according to Reuters.
How Paula Deen built her brand back up
After losing much of her income as a result of her scandals, Deen bounced back in late 2016 when she launched two new TV ventures: syndicated cooking show Positively Paula, and a live cooking series Sweet Home Savannah. She also took control of her old content by buying the rights to her Food Network shows and launching her own Paula Deen Network website, according to The Guardian.