Paula Deen Spills Tea on Matt Lauer’s Downfall: ‘Some People Deserve It

I’m Quinn Parker, your go-to gossip guru, and I’m here to dish out the juiciest details. Buckle up, folks, because this story is about to get real! Paula Deen, the southern cook and former Food Network star, is speaking out about her past controversies and the downfall of her peers – specifically, former “Today” host Matt Lauer.

In a new documentary, “Canceled: The Paula Deen Story,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, Deen opens up about her headline-making ordeal in 2013, when she admitted to using a racial slur in the past. During this tumultuous time, Lauer interviewed Deen on the morning show in a manner she characterized as aggressive and unfair. “It was terrible. It was terrible,” Deen, 78, recalled in the doc.

When the topic turned to Lauer’s termination by NBC in 2017, Deen added, “I wanted to send him a note when his troubles started… I was sympathetic to anybody who goes through that sort of pain.” However, she didn’t hold back, stating, “some people deserve it.” Her husband, Michael Groover, 69, piled on, comparing Lauer to “the Gestapo.”

Deen also addressed her one-way feud with the late chef and personality Anthony Bourdain. “Anthony Bourdain did call me the most dangerous person in America,” she said. Bourdain often criticized Deen’s high-calorie cooking, saying, “She revels in unholy connections with evil corporations and she’s proud of the fact that her food is f–king bad for you.” Deen defended her low-country recipes, saying, “I don’t know what he was off in those countries eatin’ — bat brains or something. I’ll stick to my fried chicken.”

The documentary recounts Deen’s national calamity after an employee of her Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House, Lisa Jackson, sued her and her brother, Earl “Bubba” Hiers, for sexual harassment and racial discrimination. In a deposition, Deen responded to being asked if she’d ever said the “N-word” before, saying, “Yes, of course” and owning up to a private conversation with her ex-husband after being held at gunpoint in 1986. A judge eventually dismissed the race claims, and the lawsuit was settled.

In the doc, Deen, her husband, and her sons, Bobby and Jamie Deen, assert that the allegations of racism, including those made by her former Lady and Sons restaurant cook, Dora Charles, are untrue. “My mom never would have said what Dora alleges in that video to our kitchen staff or anyone else,” Bobby said. Deen sees the new documentary as a way to clear her name. “I want my soul back,” Deen said in the film. “To lose your reputation is like losing your soul.” “When they lay me down, I do not want on my tombstone: Here lies the body of a racist.”

As the documentary sheds light on Deen’s past controversies, it’s clear that she’s not holding back. With her sharp tongue and unapologetic attitude, Deen is making a statement – and we can’t help but be drawn in. And that’s a wrap, folks! It’s been a wild ride, and I’m still buzzing from all the tea that’s been spilled.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed