Paula Deen said she approved of the professional consequences that befell former Today host Matt Lauer, telling filmmakers "some people deserve it" in a new documentary that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Deen, 78, discussed the fallout from her own 2013 scandal in Canceled: The Paula Deen Story, and recalled an interview she described as aggressive and unfair by Lauer. She said she felt sympathy for people who suffer, but added, "some people deserve it." Her husband, Michael Groover, 69, compared Lauer, 67, to "the Gestapo" in the film.
The documentary revisits the events that led to Deen's national fall from grace: a lawsuit by a former employee of her Uncle Bubba's Oyster House, Lisa Jackson, alleging sexual harassment and racial discrimination; a deposition in which Deen was asked whether she had ever used the "N-word," to which she replied, "Yes, of course;" and the subsequent loss of television shows and endorsement deals. A judge later dismissed the race claims and the lawsuit was settled. In the film Deen says, "I want my soul back," and adds, "To lose your reputation is like losing your soul."
Deen and her family defend her in the film, disputing allegations made by former staff members, including claims attributed to longtime restaurant cook Dora Charles. Bobby Deen, one of her sons, is shown saying, "My mom never would have said what Dora alleges in that video to our kitchen staff or anyone else." The documentary frames the film as an attempt to clear Deen's name and restore her reputation.
The film also revisits public disputes with other figures in food media. Deen recounts a long-running feud with the late Anthony Bourdain, who in interviews and profiles had criticized her cooking and public image. Bourdain was quoted in 2011 saying, "She revels in unholy connections with evil corporations and she's proud of the fact that her food is f--king bad for you." Deen told filmmakers she did not understand Bourdain's animus, saying, "God rest his soul. I felt like he didn’t like anybody. Not even himself. He started something with me, and I hadn’t even met him." Bourdain died in 2018.
Deen's account in the documentary also references earlier personal disclosures, including her 2012 announcement that she had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and testimony describing a private conversation following a 1986 incident in which she said she had been held at gunpoint.
The film's premiere in Toronto continues a recent trend of streaming and theatrical projects revisiting high-profile controversies from the 2010s, offering subjects a chance to explain, contextualize or push back against media narratives. Deen and her family say they hope the documentary will correct what they describe as mischaracterizations and allow her to reclaim her legacy. The film opened at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday.