The Paula Deen scandal has seen the beloved Southern chef effectively tossed off the Food Network and pilloried on social media for racist statements made in a deposition in May that caused a flurry of interest when published by The National Enquirer — but supporters of Deen are showing up on sites like Facebook as well, demanding Paula be restored to her position.
The Paula Deen scandal has certainly been damaging for the popular cook, but in some ways it has galvanized her base — and people showed up in droves to her restaurants down south to show they love Paula despite the controversy:
The photo from the NYT story about Paula Deen fans defending her is “everything.” https://t.co/Gjvp8ksXKg pic.twitter.com/JKE6GZnfWM
— Hunter Schwarz (@hunterschwarz) June 23, 2013
Deen’s scandal also brought out some unlikely support, like TMZ’s Harvey Levin, with this tweet and reply:
I think Paula Deen got screwed. I don’t believe she’s a racist, a hateful and evil person… she’s an old lady who’s way behind the times
— Harvey Levin (@HarveyLevinTMZ) June 24, 2013
@HarveyLevinTMZ AGREED #IForgiveHer
— Lisa Stanley (@LisaKearth) June 24, 2013
The Rev. Al Sharpton, often painted as a racially polarizing figure in the media for his unflagging dedication to civil rights, was also somewhat accepting of Deen’s admission she’d used the n-word nearly three decades ago, telling TMZ:
“I think she has a lawsuit now about activities now whether it was discriminatory. And whether or not she’s engaged in things now. It’s not about her past … She deserves what’s fair, but that’s based on what she’s engaged in now.”
But it was Facebook where the Paula Deen scandal really rallied fans, and 200,000 have joined a support page for the embattled chef as a national conversation occurs on both old and social media about the aftermath of racially offensive remarks.
Do you support Paula Deen as she attempts to fight back the deposition scandal?
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