Paula Deen will appear on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday, a new landmark in her successful comeback after last year's career implosion at the hands of a racism scandal.
According to Yahoo TV, Deen last took to the morning show in June of last year to confess her past missteps to host Matt Lauer. She apologized, but media outlets declared that her "bizarre" apology had failed, and emotions remained raw.
"Obviously, she hasn't learned a single hot-buttered thing," one Twitter critic wrote of her mea culpa after it was revealed she had used the "N-word" once before in the past.
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After some time off and a few visits to her restaurants down South, Deen began poising herself for a comeback.
Behind the scenes, she began work on her own online TV network, and set up a wildly successful Paula Deen Live! tour this past summer to generate some buzz. Having fun with sold-out crowds across the nation, it looked like slowly but surely, her fans and the larger public were forgiving her.
The Paula Deen Network premieres Wednesday, and
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Deen has purchased the rights to all 440 episodes — as well as unaired footage — of her Food Network shows to help her fill airtime in the new venture.
Included in the bundle are "Paula’s Home Cooking" (12 seasons, 2002-2008), "Paula’s Best Dishes" (14 seasons, 2008-2013), and "Paula’s Party" (four seasons, 2006-2008).
In a phone interview with the Journal, Deen also said she intends on producing a documentary about the lawsuit that injured her career, and what her life has been like over the last few years.
"We feel like America needs to know the true story, and everything that happened," she said. "I'm bound by the courts, so I can only say so much. But there's nothing to stop others from talking about it."
Food Network spokeswoman Irika Slavin had well wishes for Deen on the heels of the rights deal, saying, "I can share that Paula asked if we'd be willing to sell the library; we reached an agreement, and everyone here wishes her the best as she embarks on her new venture."
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