In fact, even after the media firestorm that saw her lose multimillion-dollar endorsement deals, she’s still worth a respectable US$12 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Here’s what you need to know about the Deen family …

Paula Deen’s downfall

Once upon a time, Deen was an American sweetheart famous for her calorie-heavy Southern-style dishes – but her squeaky-clean reputation suffered a dramatic collapse in 2013 when she was sued for racial and sexual discrimination. Although the judge dismissed the lawsuit, Deen admitted in her deposition that she had used the N-word in the past, leading to a widespread public backlash, per CNN. The disgraced chef lost major deals with the likes of Food Network, Walmart, Target and Home Depot, according to Reuters.

How Paula Deen built her brand back up

After losing much of her income as a result of her scandals, Deen bounced back in late 2016 when she launched two new TV ventures: syndicated cooking show Positively Paula, and a live cooking series Sweet Home Savannah. She also took control of her old content by buying the rights to her Food Network shows and launching her own Paula Deen Network website, according to The Guardian.

In 2020, she launched her Love & Best Dishes web series on YouTube, and in 2021 she joined MasterChef as a guest judge, per the LA Times. The celebrity chef continues to share content, recipes and kitchen hacks with her followers via her website and her very own Paula Deen Magazine.

Are Paula Deen’s restaurants going bust?

In January, staff at Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen in Foley, Alabama, were left without jobs following the restaurant’s abrupt closure, per AL.com. The branch had operated for just over four years – but the chain may have struggling for a while as, at the time of its opening, two Paula Deen restaurants in Florida had just closed. Four locations are still up and running at the time of writing though, according to the company website: two in Tennessee, one in South Carolina and one in Missouri.

What are Paula Deen’s sons up to?

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in the Deen family. Paula, who married Michael Groover in 2004, has two children with her first husband, Jimmy Deen. Back in 1989, she and her sons, Jamie and Bobby, founded a catering business delivering “lunch and love in a bag”. The venture led to the opening in 1990 of their first restaurant, The Lady, which in 1996 evolved into a larger establishment, The Lady & Sons – which operates to this day in Savannah, Georgia.

Deen’s elder son, 56-year-old Jamie Deen, is a chef, restaurateur and TV personality after appearing on plenty of his mother’s shows over the years. He’s based in Savannah, Georgia, where he lives with his wife and three children, according to their company website.

Younger brother Bobby Deen, 54, is the author of two books – the bestselling From Mama’s Table to Mine: Everybody’s Favorite Comfort Foods at 350 Calories or Less in 2013, and 2014’s Everyday Eats: 120 All-New Recipes, All Under 350 Calories, All Under 30 Minutes. He’s also done his fair share of television work, including on the Cooking Channel’s Not My Mama’s Meals and Junk Food Flip, and the Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship and Spring Baking Championship, according to his bio on the Paula Deen website. In October 2018, his wife Claudia gave birth to triplets, per People.

In June 2017, Jamie and Bobby launched their Deen Brothers Cookware brand. They also continue to run The Lady & Sons, and showcase their culinary expertise on YouTube. Jamie is best known for his easy family-friendly recipes, while Bobby’s specialty is his healthy Southern-style cooking.