Paula Deen criticized the late chef and television personality Anthony Bourdain in a new documentary that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, saying he "didn't like anybody. Not even himself, maybe," and suggesting he had started a public feud with her despite never having met her.
The documentary, Canceled: The Paula Deen Story, directed by Billy Corben, premiered at TIFF last Saturday and has not yet secured distribution. Deen, 78, made the remarks while reflecting on a long-running dispute dating to 2011, when Bourdain publicly criticized her food and its health implications.
Deen told the documentary audience that she believed Bourdain "didn't like anybody" and that he had "started something with me, and I'd never even met him." She added, "God rest his soul," and said she felt he may not have liked himself. The remarks came as Deen also addressed the racial discrimination controversy that upended her career in 2013.
Bourdain, who died in 2018, had been one of Deen's most prominent critics. In 2011 he called her "the worst, most dangerous person to America" and "the most destructive person on the Food Network," criticizing her heavy, sugar- and butter-filled recipes. He told TV Guide that she "revels in unholy connections with evil corporations" and described her food as "f***ing bad for you." He later told Eater that it was "in bad taste" for Deen to promote indulgent dishes after disclosing a diabetes diagnosis. Bourdain also posted a sarcastic tweet suggesting he might go into "the leg-breaking business" to profitably sell crutches.
Deen disclosed she has Type 2 diabetes and signed on as a brand ambassador for diabetes drugmaker Novo Nordisk in 2012; she has said she was diagnosed in 2009. In the TIFF film she defended her cooking choices, saying, "I think I'll just stick with my fried chicken," and argued she did not set out to harm anyone.
The 2013 controversy involved a deposition in which Deen, in a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by a former employee, acknowledged using racial slurs in the 1980s while recounting an alleged bank robbery. In the deposition she said she had used such language then and added, "I'm sure I have, but it's been a very long time." The revelation prompted the Food Network to cancel her show within 24 hours and led to the loss of endorsement deals with retailers and brands, including Walmart, Target and several other partners. A federal judge later dismissed the employee's lawsuit on the grounds that the white plaintiff did not have standing to sue for the alleged mistreatment of black employees.
The fallout also affected Deen's restaurant operations. On Aug. 1 she announced the closure of her longtime Savannah, Georgia, restaurant The Lady & Sons after 36 years and the closure of The Chicken Box, which had operated for two years in Savannah. Deen continues to operate four Paula Deen's Family Kitchen locations in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; and Branson, Missouri.
Deen has remained active in media and hospitality. She hosts a Facebook cooking series, Love & Best Dishes, and has described in the film her desire to reclaim her reputation. "When they lay me down, I do not want my tombstone to say, 'Here lies the body of a racist,'" she said in the documentary, adding, "I want my soul back. To lose your reputation is like losing your soul."
Canceled: The Paula Deen Story joins a string of recent documentaries and retrospectives that revisit public figures' careers and controversies. The film's director, Billy Corben, presented the work at TIFF; festival organizers listed the screening as a premiere, and as of the festival showing the film had not announced a distributor or release date.