Paula Deen’s son appears in brownface, has some explaining to do
Paula Deen has a short memory.
Less than a year after Deen told the Today Show’s Matt Lauer she had “learned her lesson” after being dropped from the Food Network over a racial discrimination scandal, she is facing another controversy.
Today, the disgraced celebrity chef posted a photo of her son Bobby in brownface to Twitter. Dressed as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the tweet read, “Lucyyyyyyy! You got a lot of esplainin’ to do!” and included the hashtag #TransformationTuesday.
Twitter users reacted with outrage to the photo, which has since been removed. But not before being preserved forever in Internet amber!
“Paula Deen’s Social Media Manager posted a picture this morning of Paula and Bobby Deen dressed in costume as Lucy and Ricky, from I Love Lucy,” explained her rep to E! News hours after the photo was taken down. “This photograph is from a Halloween episode of Paula’s Best Dishes that aired in 2011.”
Deen has since apologized — and fired her social media manager — but not before the damage was done.
Some pointed out her past offenses:
@Paula_Deen @BobbyDeen Wait. Are you aiming for an annual race roasting? Brown face?
— Black Whoreacle (@KeenePOV) July 7, 2015
While others related her racism to her cooking:
Paula Deen’s brand of racism is stewed to perfection. — A$AP Aspie (@ProfessorBLove) July 7, 2015
Legitimate questions were raised about her public relations strategy:
Paula Deen’s PR team is literally just 3 sticks of butter in a trenchcoat. — Mike Hinson (@HinsonMike) July 7, 2015
Some interesting theories were floated on the fate of famed Paulas:
THEORY: All of popular culture’s Paulas are cursed. Paula Deen, Paula Patton, Paula Poundstone, Paula Yates, Paula Abdul. It’s air tight. — Max Abelson (@maxabelson) July 7, 2015
And mostly, the people of Twitter think Deen has things backwards:
No, YOU have a lot to esplainin’ to do, yet again @Paula_Deen https://t.co/zlBWQhSaMv — Aaron Covington (@BearCov) July 7, 2015
More in Marketing
TikTok creators are increasingly tapping into food-centric content — and brands are following
As more influencers look to get into food content creation, brand opportunities are following.
Marketing Briefing: Why agency execs believe there will be more faux OOH in 2024
As major marketers like Maybelline experiment with faux OOH, more marketers are open to the idea.
Alienware wants to make endemic esports brand partnerships cool again
The love affair between Alienware and Team Liquid does not mean that every esports organization is suddenly going to be all-in on wooing the endemic brands they once spurned in 2024. These days, esports organizations’ varying level of interest in endemics is a matter of their broader brand identities — which are rapidly diverging.