What do you guys think about it? It appears she admitted making the comments in a taped deposition.
See more here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3467287.htmlLawyer: What about jokes, if somebody is telling a joke that's got --
Deen: It's just what they are, they're jokes.
Lawyer: Okay. Would you consider those to be using the N word in a mean way?
…
Deen: That's -- that's kind of hard. Most -- most jokes are about Jewish people, rednecks, black folks. Most jokes target -- I don't know. I didn't make up the jokes, I don't know. I can't -- I don't know.
Lawyer: Okay.
Deen: They usually target, though a group. Gays or straights, black, redneck, you know, I just don't know. I can't, myself, determine what offends another person.
Edit*: I should clarify - Food Network has chosen to not renew her contract - so it was not an immediate termination.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/22/di...y.html?hp&_r=0A network spokeswoman said it would not renew Ms. Deen’s contract when it expired at the end of June. Ms. Deen has faced a volley of criticism this week over her remarks in a deposition for a discrimination lawsuit by a former employee. In the document, she admitted she had used racial epithets, tolerated racist jokes and condoned pornography in the workplace.
Edit*2
It appears one of her major sponsors, Smithfield Foods, has now dropped her.
http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2013/06/24/...een/?hpt=hp_t2"Smithfield condemns the use of offensive and discriminatory language and behavior of any kind. Therefore, we are terminating our partnership with Paula Deen. Smithfield is determined to be an ethical food industry leader and it is important that our values and those of our spokespeople are properly aligned."
Deen became a spokesperson for Smithfield Foods, the country's largest producer of pork products, in 2006.