Paula Deen is still thriving years after scandal

It’s been 11 years since the Food Network cut its ties with Paula Deen after she apologized for using racist language, but now her career is thriving again.

Deen was once a staple of the network, joining in 1999 and going on to be the face of a variety of cooking shows, including Paula’s Home Cooking and Paula’s Best Dishes. Viewers loved her for her Southern hospitality and she has often been credited for popularizing the cuisine of the American South.

However, on June 21, 2013, the Food Network announced it hadn’t renewed the TV chef’s contract after she admitted that she had used racial slurs in the past. That month, Deen was sued by a former employee for racial and sexual discrimination. While Judge William Moore threw out the suit’s race-discrimination claims, he let the claims of sexual discrimination stand.

Eventually, lawyers reached a dismissal deal to drop the lawsuit. However, Deen’s deposition was eventually made public, which revealed she had “of course” used the “N-word” at times. After receiving backlash from the public, Deen appeared on Today, where she said she wasn’t racist —but it was too little too late. In a matter of days, she lost partnerships with various brands, including the likes of Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Sears and JCPenney.

While this could have ruined Deen’s career forever, she is currently going from one success to another. Her restaurants are still running, her social media following is growing and she is publishing recipes in her magazine, Cooking With Paula Deen.

Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for Deen for comment on Thursday.

Career Nosedive

Michael Dinich is a financial adviser and personal finance expert, as well as the founder of Wealth of Geeks, a personal finance and pop culture website. Over the years he has studied “many celebrity money mishaps” and he spoke to Newsweek about the full financial context of what transpired all those years ago.

“At her peak, the queen of butter was raking in an estimated $17 million annually with a sprawling business empire and ubiquitous TV presence. But as you mentioned, once details emerged of that racist workplace behavior, things changed seemingly overnight,” he said.

“As her image went from beloved Southern cook to pariah, sales of her cookbooks, kitchenware lines, restaurants and other ventures tanked. Some estimate she lost around $12 million in canceled deals alone.”

It’s no secret that public scandals can destroy brands and celebrities’ bank accounts, with Dinich referring to how quickly sponsors dropped Tiger Woods or Kevin Spacey.

He continued: “But what struck me about Deen’s case was just how reliant her wealth had become on one revenue stream—TV and endorsements. Unlike, say, Oprah, she hadn’t adequately diversified her income over the decades.

“So when the plug got pulled in 2013, she had no Plan B to fall back on financially. The ensuing years were no doubt a desperate time as mounting legal fees also piled on. Reports say she went from a $17 million fortune to filing for bankruptcy with only $7.5 million left by 2017 as the dust settled.”

Dinich said that while some of Deen’s businesses have bounced back, he believes she will never regain the heights she once reached. He added: “Her case serves as a cautionary tale of the dangers of not preparing your wealth for potential downturns, whether personal mistakes or market shifts. One wrong move can wipe out decades of hard work.”

Still Thriving

While Dinich believes Deen’s story should be a wake-up call for others, Chris Cline, managing partner at The Cline Group, a public relations agency, told Newsweek that Deen is a case study, similar to Martha Stewart, of how brands can bounce back from controversy.

He said that Deen’s net worth has been steadily climbing since the scandal, and is now “estimated to be at about $14 million.

“This is largely attributed to her television shows, her Paula Deen network, her cookbooks and her restaurants. She also holds real estate holdings that add to her net worth. Since her controversy, Deen has been able to rebuild much of her culinary empire and has a loyal following.”

Cline added that initially there were some missteps in the way she handled the fallout and interviews. According to Cline, the best thing she could have done was take ownership of her actions and move forward. That being said, she has managed to hold on to a loyal fanbase over the years.

“Generally, we live in a society that wants to forgive,” he said. “But that person has to take responsibility first. Deen embraced other ways to stay in the spotlight like launching her own network, being on Dancing With the Stars and she posted cooking shows on YouTube. She never completely disappeared from the limelight and her fanbase eventually has embraced her again as a result.”

According to the social media analytics website SocialBlade, Deen has steadily been gaining followers on Instagram, and she has over 518,000. At the time of writing, she had gained 1,320 followers in the past 30 days. On April 19, she gained 515 alone. While not a huge increase, it goes to show Deen still has fans who want to keep up to date with what she’s up to.

The comments on her Instagram account are all positive as well, with many people sharing their support for the chef.

“I am your number-one fan! I think you are the best cook in the world and the best thing that ever hit the Food Network show. I stop watching the show after you left,” one person commented.

“Paula I got your magazine the other day. I have most the pages earmarked. Great recipes. Have loved you since my 30s and I’m 54. You are so talented and so kind hearted,” said another.

A third added: “Paula, I know it’s been a very long time, but I always watched your cooking shows and things with your sons on TV. Would enjoy seeing you again, maybe occasionally?”

On YouTube, she has 552,000 followers and in the last 30 days, she has gained 2,000 followers. During this time frame, she has had over 1 million video views.

The celebrity chef also has a variety of upcoming book signings for her fans, which will all be taking place at her restaurants. The dates range from June 22 to December 7, with nine signings in total.

Restaurant Success

Deen owns a variety of restaurants that focus on Southern-style cooking, which are doing well and often receive positive reviews from diners.

She opened her landmark restaurant, The Lady and Sons, with her sons in June 1996. On Google, the restaurant has 4 out of 5 stars, with the majority of the views in recent months being overwhelmingly positive.

“You want to complete your visit to the south with a blessing to your palette? Then you MUST stop here. I couldn’t see eating tacos during my Savannah trip. A quick Google search of fried chicken led me to Lady & Sons. We scraped each plate,” one person wrote, while another added: “We enjoyed the food at The Lady & Sons restaurant so much that we dined there twice during our visit to Savannah.”

Unfortunately for Deen, not all of the reviews are positive. On TripAdvisor, The Lady and Sons has a score of 3.5 out of 5, and recent reviews are overwhelmingly negative.

“We wanted to experience her infamous Southern cooking and we have never been more disappointed in a restaurant! The chicken was average but all of the side dishes were terrible and overcooked… even the green beans were mushy!” one person wrote.

“I’ve always wanted to try Paula Deans restaurant but the meal was not fresh. The fried chicken was dry, the Mac and cheese dry and stuck together in a big glob. Collard greens were good, corn the cob was made hours ago and cold. The peach cobbler was made from canned peaches! In Georgia no less!! During Peach season!! Will not return,” said another.

However, The Chicken Box, a restaurant that offers quick and easy lunch items and is located behind The Lady & Sons, only has positive reviews online.

“Wow, what fantastic chicken and biscuits. Stopped here to get some chicken to go. Staff was friendly and efficient. Could not wait until I got home and chowed on the biscuits on the way home. They were cheesy and hot, terrific,” one TripAdvisor review reads, while a Yelp reviewer wrote: “Really friendly service and great food at a reasonable price! Really loved the honey mustard too.”

Deen also owns the restaurant Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen, which has locations in Nashville and Pigeon Forge in Tennessee, Branson in Missouri and Myrtle Beach in South California. Here, guests can expect to be served classic Deen family recipes. These restaurants are a hit with customers, with each one having a rating of 4.5 out of 5 on TripAdvisor.

“Waitress Caitlyn was amazing! And the food and service time was phenomenal ! We will definitely come back again and would recommend Paula Deens!” one review reads.