Disgraced celebrity chef Paula Deen couldn’t hold back the tears during her first public appearance since the lawsuit accusing her of workplace racism was settled.Deen appeared at the Metro Cooking and Entertainment Show in Houston, Texas, on Saturday, where she was met with a standing ovation from the audience.
The 66-year-old former Food Network star began sobbing, clutching a tissue in her hand, at the reception.
“These are tears of joy, y’all,” Deen said, according to the Houston Chronicle. “This is my first time out in three months.”
Deen was dropped by Food Network after former employee Lisa Jackson claimed she suffered from sexual harassment and racially offensive talk and employment practices during her five years as a manager of a restaurant Deen co-owned.
“I’ve said all along that the one place I’d want to make my first step back out is Texas,” she continued.
“Y’all’s hearts are as big as your state.”
Deen was at the center of a public scandal in May after admitting in a deposition that she had used the n-word in the past. In the subsequent fallout, Deen lost her spot on the Food Network as well as several lucrative endorsement deals with Target, Sears, Walmart, Home Depot, and Kmart, among others.
Last month, a Georgia federal judge threw out the suit which Deen’s difficulties stemmed from. The judge deemed Lisa Jackson, the employee who brought the discrimination suit against Deen, “at best…an accidental victim.” – Daily News via Google News
