Paula Deen

Paula Deen is a celebrity chef and TV personality known for her Southern cooking and Food Network shows, including Paula’s Home Cooking and Paula’s Party. Deen was born and raised in Albany, Georgia. After losing both of her parents before the age of 23, she began suffering from severe agoraphobia and turned to cooking as a coping mechanism. She went on to start a catering business, The Bag Lady, in the late 1980s with her sons delivering meals.

Her big break came in 1997 when she published The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook, which led to her first show on the Food Network in 2002. Her popularity quickly grew, and she became a staple on the network with multiple shows and guest appearances. She went on to build a business empire that included restaurants, cookbooks and product lines.

Deen faced controversy in 2013 when a deposition revealed she had used racial slurs in the past. The fallout led to the loss of endorsement deals and her Food Network contract. She later attempted a comeback with projects like Positively Paula and Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen restaurants. She also competed on season 21 of Dancing with the Stars, where she danced with pro Louis van Amstel and placed ninth overall.

Deen married Jimmy Deen in 1965, and they welcomed sons Jamie Deen (born in 1967) and Bobby Deen (born in 1970) before divorcing in 1989. She married Michael Groover, a tugboat captain, in 2004.