NEED TO KNOW
- It has been over a decade since Paula Deen’s Food Network show came to an end in 2013
- The “Queen of Southern Cuisine” has released more cookbooks and recipes since then
- In July 2025, Deen announced the abrupt closure of two of her restaurants, including her flagship eatery, The Lady & Sons
Paula Deen’s career has had moments of success and controversy.
For more than a decade in the early 2000s, the Georgia native was a staple on television, starring in her own cooking shows, releasing cookbooks and establishing restaurants. But in June 2013, Food Network dropped Dean after she admitted to using a racial slur in the workplace in a sworn deposition, according to The New York Times.
Since then, Deen has largely stayed out of the spotlight. More recently, though, Deen made headlines again when she announced the abrupt closure of two of her restaurants on Aug. 1.
“Hey, y’all, my sons and I made the heartfelt decision that Thursday, July 31st, was the last day of service for The Lady & Sons and The Chicken Box,” she wrote in a statement posted on her Facebook and official website. “Thank you for all the great memories and for your loyalty over the past 36 years.”
That same month, on Aug. 20, Deen gave Fox & Friends’ Steve Doocy a tour of her home in Savannah, Ga.
So what happened to Paula Deen? Here’s everything to know about her culinary career and what she’s doing today, years after parting ways with Food Network.
She started her professional culinary career in 1989
In June 1989, Deen started a catering company from her kitchen. She opened The Bag Lady catering company with her “last $200,” according to a June 2025 Facebook post. Deen helped get her business off the ground with the help of her sons, Jamie and Bobby, who would deliver her homemade Southern food to workers in Savannah.
Two years later, in 1991, she opened a buffet restaurant, The Lady, in the lobby of a Best Western Hotel, the Chicago Tribune reported. Deen dedicated herself to the location — alongside her kids and her husband, Michael — until her next venture put her on the map.
In January 1996, the chef launched The Lady & Sons in downtown Savannah, eventually becoming a popular establishment and leading to TV superstardom.
She landed her first show on the Food Network in 2002
Deen released her first cookbook, The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook, in April 1998.
According to her official website, Deen then made her television debut on QVC, and in 2002, she starred in her own Food Network show, Paula’s Home Cooking. The cooking TV program ran for 10 years, ending in 2012.
In addition to Paula’s Home Cooking, she starred in Paula’s Party and Paula’s Best Dishes, both of which aired on the Food Network.
She left TV in 2013 after admitting to using racist language in the past
Paula’s Home Cooking was a staple on the Food Network for a decade, but the channel cut ties with her amid controversy.
In 2012, Deen and her brother, Bubba Hiers, were sued by former employee Lisa Jackson for $1.2 million, per CBS News. Lisa previously worked at Uncle Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House, an establishment co-owned by Deen and run by Hiers. According to the ex-employee, during her five years as a manager, she experienced sexual harassment and racial discrimination.
The following year, in May 2013, Deen admitted during a deposition that she used a racial slur on a few occasions in the past, CBS News reported. Shortly after, the Food Network announced that it wouldn’t renew the celebrity chef’s contract, which was set to expire at the end of June. In addition, retailers like Walmart and Target stated they would no longer sell Deen’s products and a book deal was scrapped.
As the fallout continued, Deen was scheduled to do a sit-down interview on the Today show, but was a no-show, per CBS News. Instead, she released two apology videos online.
“I want to apologize to everybody for the wrong that I’ve done,” she said in one of the clips, per The Hollywood Reporter. “I want to learn and grow from this. … Inappropriate 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. Please forgive me for the mistakes that I’ve made.”
Following the Food Network’s decision not to renew her contract, Deen released a statement to PEOPLE.
“I have had the pleasure of being allowed into so many homes across the country and meeting people who have shared with me the most touching and personal stories,” it read. “This would not have been possible without the Food Network. Thank you again. Love and best dishes to all of ya’ll.”
In August 2013, a settlement was reached, though its details weren’t made public, according to ABC News.
She went on to compete on Dancing with the Stars in 2015
While Deen’s tenure on the Food Network was over, her time on television was not.
In June 2014, she embarked on a live tour called Paula Deen Live!, which consisted of 20 shows across the U.S., per the Las Vegas Sun News. Each stop was set to feature a 90-minute session with the celebrity chef who advertised cooking demos, interactive audience games and personal stories.
The following year, Deen competed on season 21 of Dancing with the Stars, which premiered in September 2015.
“Let me tell you—I’m excited and nervous,” she wrote on her website, about appearing on the competition series. “There’s just a whole array of emotions that could overwhelm a person. After all, I’m 68 and startin’ on this physically demanding show.”
In October 2015, Deen was eliminated during the sixth week of the season, but she stayed busy. Earlier that same year, she launched a mobile game and a line of dog food. Deen later released several other products as part of an online shop, including seasonings and jewelry.
She is still releasing cookbooks and sharing recipes online
In the years since she said goodbye to her Food Network audience, Deen has continued to release cookbooks, her most recent being 2023’s Love and Best Dishes. Her magazine, Cooking with Paula Deen, is still being published today as well; its first issue hit newsstands in 2005.
As for television, Deen debuted her show, Positively Paula, in 2016. It aired for two seasons and a total of 26 episodes. In June 2020, she launched her YouTube channel, where she posts new videos daily to nearly 600,000 subscribers.
She announced the closure of two restaurants in August 2025
On Aug. 1, Deen announced the abrupt closing of two of her eateries, The Lady & Sons and The Chicken Box.
“We have endless love and gratitude for every customer who has walked through our doors,” she wrote in a statement posted online. “We are equally grateful to our incredible staff — past and present — whose hard work, care, and hospitality made The Lady & Sons what it was. Savannah will always be our home, and we’ll always be here to support our wonderful community.”
The letter ended with Deen and her sons saying they “will now focus” their attention on the four remaining locations of Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen: Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Myrtle Beach, S.C., Nashville, Tenn. and Branson, Mo.
“We’re excited to continue visiting these restaurants regularly, starting with Branson on August 8th,” the statement concluded. A reason for the closing of The Chicken Box and The Lady & Sons was not given.
Deen will appear in the documentary Canceled: The Paula Deen Story, which will revisit the fallout of her career in 2013. The project will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 6.
Read the full article here