It was a shocking week for Paula Deen fans when the famous Southern cook was released from the Food Network Friday in light of her admission to having used racially insensitive comments in the past.
As CBS News reports, Deen, 66, the Savannah, Ga.,-born celebrity cook, has drawn a firestorm of controversy around her ever since court documents in a lawsuit were filed this week alleging that Deen told an attorney under oath that she has used the "N-word" in the past, although she added that it had been "a very long time" since she did so.
Deen issued an apology via a video clip released on Friday where she commented on the matter.
"I want to apologize to everybody for the wrong that I've done. I want to learn and grow from this," she said.
However, barely an hour after the apology was issued, the Food Network--where Deen became a household name with her show "Paula's Home Cooking," which began in 2002--issued a statement announcing that they would be releasing Deen from her contract.
"Food Network will not renew Paula Deen's contract when it expires at the end of this month," the statement read.
Online, while critics poked fun at Dean on Twitter with the hashtag "Paula'sBestDishes"-where they used racial satire to ridicule familiar food titles--fans of Deen have come out in support of the famous cook who rose from poverty, divorce and other circumstances to become a nationwide brand that helped Savannah, Ga., become an even-more frequented destination among tourists.
"So good-bye Food Network," one viewer wrote. "I hope you fold like an accordion!!!"
"OK, I'll do it: what (at)Paula-Deen did was wrong," Joe Marinelli, Visit Savannah's president, tweeted. "But she's part of our (at)Savannah family and I'm here to support her."
Deen issued a second video on Friday explaining her decision to drop out of an appearance on "Today," where she was scheduled to speak with anchor Matt Lauer.
"I was invited this morning to speak with Matt Lauer about a subject that has been very hurtful for a lot of people," Deen said. "And Matt, I have to say, I was physically unable this morning. The pain has been tremendous that I have caused to myself and to others."
"I want people to understand that my family and I -- we're not the kind of people that the press is wanting to say we are."
However, Deen is not the first celebrity who has found herself in trouble after making or allegedly making controversial remarks. Latinos Post.com brings to you a list of celebrities that have gotten fired in recent years thanks to some ill-advised comments:
Gilbert Gottfried
The famous standup comedian and voice of Iago in the 1992 Disney animated hit "Aladdin" was also known for his national Aflac commercials as the voice of the Aflac Duck. However, he was fired from his role with Aflac in March 2011 after he sent several offensive tweets regarding the devastating Japan earthquake and tsunami that killed an estimated 15,000 people.
Charlie Sheen
In one of the more famous high-profile meltdowns in recent memory, Sheen, who starred on the CBS hit comedy series "Two and a Half Men"-a role that helped net Sheen and CBS between 13 and 15 million viewers for seven seasons-lost his job after a bizarre interview in February 2011 during which he made some antisemetic comments against the show's creator and lead writer, Chuck Lorre.
Isaiah Washington
A favorite character on the ABC hit show "Grey's Anatomy," Washington was fired after he reportedly got into an altercation with the show's male lead, Patrick Dempsey, over a homophobic slur Washington reportedly used regarding fellow co-star T.R. Knight.
Juan Williams
An author and long-time National Public Radio (NPR) analyst, Williams was fired from NPR in October 2010 after he made what were deemed anti-Muslim remarks against Muslims during a segment on Fox News.
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