Pre-publication orders had made it No. 1 on Amazon, but now Paula Deen's publisher has said it won't be putting out her next cookbook this fall.
"The celebrity chef, who's been suffering from a raft of bad press, has had her first book with Random House,Paula Deen's New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up, canceled. The title was to be released by Random's Ballantine Books imprint in October.
"Random House, which released a brief statement on Friday, said the decision came 'after careful consideration.' "
In case you haven't heard, Deen has been in the center of a storm over the news that she used racially offensive language in the past — notably, the N-word. As NPR's Allison Aubrey reported for The Salt, Deen's sponsors started dropping her shortly after the story broke.
Among the companies that are cutting ties with her, as The Associated Press reminds us, are:
Sears, J.C. Penney, Walgreen, Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, Novo Nordisk, Smithfield Foods, Caesars Entertainment and The Food Network.
Deen also won't be appearing on QVC anymore, the home shopping network says, and it will be phasing out sales of her products. In a letter posted on the network's website, CEO Mike George says in part that:
"We have talked with Paula and her team extensively over the last several days, and together we have considered what is best for our customers, for Paula, and for QVC. For now, we have decided to take a pause. Paula won't be appearing on any upcoming broadcasts and we will phase out her product assortment on our online sales channels over the next few months. We all think it's important, at this moment, for Paula to concentrate on responding to the allegations against her and on her path forward.
"Some of you may wonder whether this is a 'forever' decision – whether we are simply ending our association with Paula. We don't think that's how relationships work. People deserve second chances. And we always strive to do the right thing."
Deen says in a statement attached to George's letter that:
"As you know, I have some important things to work on right now, both personally and professionally. And so we've agreed that it's best for me to step back from QVC and focus on setting things right.
"I am truly sorry and assure you I will work hard to earn your forgiveness."
Update at 3 p.m. ET. Related Post From The Code Switch Blog:
"How To Prove You're Not A Racist."
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