Last week Food Network star Paula Deen announced on the “Today Show” that she was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes three years ago but had not come forward about it until now. Why did the Queen of Comfort Food hide her illness for so long?
If you are unfamiliar with the legend that is Paula Deen, then you should know that her popularity on the Food Network since 1999 is only just a scratch of the surface. This southern mother of two has restaurants, a frozen food line, kitchenware, and multiple cookbooks all revolving around unhealthy fried foods that are made with excessive amounts of unsaturated fats.
It’s because of Paula’s cooking habits that there’s no wonder why she now has Diabetes and people are disappointed of how she has hid her illness for so long. Anthony Bourdain, host of Travel Channel’s “No Reservations” had once referred to Deen as the “worst, most dangerous person in America.” Last week in an interview with Eater.com, Bourdain also voiced his strong opinion on the issue by stating, “when your signature dish is hamburger in between a doughnut, and you’ve been cheerfully selling this stuff while knowing all along that you’ve got Type 2 Diabetes… it’s in bad taste if nothing else.” Not only was Deen’s decision to hide the issue probably prompted by her popularity of terrible eating habits, but also there seems to be another incentive on the table.
Meet Paula Dean, the new Victoza spokeswoman. Victoza is an injectable diabetic medication made by Novo Nordisk, who is apparently giving Deen a hefty paycheck to talk about it as well as an upcoming commercial. Not only is Paula receiving compensation for her association with the company’s name but her sons will be as well. According to the Deen family, a percentage of the profits will be donated to the American Diabetes Association, though what percentage was not disclosed. Is a coincidence along with that her son Bobby aired his new show on Cooking Channel, “Not My Mama’s Meals” which offers “healthier” versions of his mothers heart-attack-prone comfort foods just three weeks prior to her announcement?
Deen has started an educational campaign called, “Diabetes In A New Light“ in order to teach people about the disease even though she continues to share her deathly recipes. She also claimed that she waited to come forward with her illness was in order to gain a better understanding of the disease, but it doesn’t seem like she will change her ways. After coming forward as a closet Diabetic and deceiving millions of fans, she says she will cut back on things like sweet tea. Her best advice on prevention (rather than avoiding her cooking) is to “practice moderation, ya’ll” but you should take that with a grain of salt, as I’m sure she’ll take it with a stick of butter.
