Tragic Details You Never Knew About Paula Deen
Paula Deen has been a household name for decades. Her rollercoaster of a career has been on display like a fiery car crash: For everyone to see. Though a few of the troughs were her own doing, from admitting to making racist remarks in the past to promoting a poor diet, she still has experienced quite a bit of heartache, both in and out of the kitchen.
Despite the hardships, the chef is still climbing her way to the top of the food chain. She now owns several restaurants across the American South, stars in her own cooking shows, has made several guest appearances on various TV shows, continued releasing cookbooks, and is a proud grandma of 10. She works alongside her two sons, Jamie and Bobby, who stuck by her side through her misfortune. Here are some of the tragic events that have shaped Paula Deen into the woman she is today.
She lost her mother and father at a young age
Before she reached TV screens, Paula Deen embraced domestic life. She married her first husband, Jimmy, when she was 18 years old. But the following year, her father died unexpectedly due to surgery complications, and her mother died four years later from cancer.
The tragedy of losing both of her parents before 25 was difficult for Deen. She struggled heavily with her mental well-being, grappling with the concept of death every day. "I finally accepted my mother's death, my father's death, my death, my children's death — everybody that I loved — because dying is a big, big part of living; ain't none of us going to get out of this alive," she told Newsweek. "I accepted that."
To make matters worse, Deen's marriage was headed down a dangerous path, as Jimmy had become an abusive alcoholic. In her book, "Paula Deen: It Ain't All About the Cookin,'" she revealed that the driving force for their separation was his all-too-frequent negligence, remembering one particular story of when she had reached her breaking point. "It didn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that although Bobby had faithfully given his car payments to Jimmy, his daddy now had really stopped sendin' the checks," she wrote. She filed for divorce in 1989.
Her second marriage has been surrounded by rumors and gossip
Paula Deen found love after heartbreak with Michael Groover , but it hasn't always been smooth sailing. The two were neighbors when they met in 2000, as her dogs had gotten out and ran over to his yard. And from the moment they laid eyes on each other, it was love at first sight. They got married in 2004, but fans have been smelling something fishy ever since.
The first suspicion of infidelity came in 2013, with reports of Groover having an affair. As this was going down, the tabloid rag National Enquirer was the main source for spreading this information, and Us Weekly quickly followed up with inside sources that shut down the rumors altogether. Neither Deen nor Groover have ever commented on the speculation.
By 2015, the internet was once again talking about Deen's marriage. She had transferred her million-dollar Georgia home to be solely in Groover's name, which sent the public abuzz. In 2016, though, she gained back ownership of her home and released a statement. "[Deen] says that it was recorded under error and has canceled the deed transfer she originally made," per Daily Mail reported. "The filing, signed off by both Deen and her husband, states that the transfer has been voided and that Groover is no longer the sole owner of the home."
She developed diabetes — which led to criticism of the food she encourages people to make
"Butter is better!" is a phrase Paula Deen has frequently declared, and it's landed her in hot water over the years. Notoriously for her deep-fried Southern cooking, she has been blasted for promoting an unhealthy lifestyle. Fried butter balls, a fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and deep-fried cheesecake are all recipes Deen has shared with the world. And when she revealed on Today in 2012 that she had been living with Type 2 diabetes for three years, many called for a reality check.
Some put Deen on blast for hiding her diagnosis and continuing to profit off of her fat-filled recipes, while others were not surprised at all by the news. Diabetes can be caused by several things, so we can't solely blame her dishes, but their gluttonous and indulgent nature didn't help her case. The scrutinizing frenzy resulted in Deen's publicist quitting, but she didn't stay down for long. Upon returning to Today after speaking on her diagnosis, Deen said to interviewer Al Rocker, "The people that care for me, Al, they came out like you wouldn't believe, and they were the people that I care about."
She was in multiple scandals that damaged her career
As if 2012 weren't tumultuous enough for Paula Deen, then came the straw that (temporarily) broke the camel's back for the celebrity chef's career. Like a disastrous domino effect, several instances of her racist behavior came to light. What came first was a discrimination lawsuit filed against her and her brother by an employee a her Georgia restaurant, Uncle Bubba's Oyster House.
As reported by CNN, during the trial, Deen denied ever making racially insensitive jokes. But when asked if she had ever used the n-word, Deen all-too-cavalierly admitted, "Yes, of course." In 2013, upon this striking admission, the losses came one by one. Food Network announced that they would not be renewing her contract with the channel, Smithfield Foods cut all ties, and she quickly lost sponsorships from enormous corporations, including Home Depot, Target, and even Novo Nordisk, the company behind the diabetes medication she endorsed when her diagnosis went public.
The discrimination claims were ultimately thrown out, as the employee who filed the lawsuit, Lisa Jackson, is white. Upon the news, Deen made a statement to Today. "While this has been a difficult time for both my family and myself, I am pleased that the judge dismissed the race claims and I am looking forward to getting this behind me, now that the remaining claims have been resolved," she said. But the damage had been done — Deen admitting to using racist remarks in the past was enough to enrage the masses for years to come.
Fans have expressed concern about her health — and accused her of using Ozempic
In 2024, fans expressed concern over Paula Deen's well-being. In a photo she posted to Instagram in October 2024, the chef is holding up a platter of cookies in honor of National Homemade Cookie Day. It wasn't the dessert that captured people's attention, but Deen's astounding weight loss that left her unrecognizable.
"Paula..... u r so skinny!!! Are u ok?" wrote one user. "If you're on a diet slow down if you can," another added. Some even expressed derogatory suspicion that she is on the ultra-glorified Ozempic — a drug for treating type 2 diabetes that celebrities use off-label to lose weight. It seems Deen can't win when it comes to the conversation on her health, because it seems that she's actually made numerous lifestyle changes after being diagnosed with diabetes to improve her well-being. According to Woman's Day, the American chef revealed the tricks she uses for living a healthier life, including experimenting with different diets, portion control, and eating more protein.