Country
cooking queen Paula Deen's admission last week that she had used the
N-word in the past and once planned a slavery-themed wedding has
caused two more companies to jump ship Thursday. Target announced it
was severing ties with the former TV chef and later shopping networkQVC announced it was "taking a pause" in its relationship
with Deen.
"We
have made a decision to phase out the Paula Deen merchandise in our
stores as well as on Target.com," a company rep told FOX411'sPop Tarts column. "Once the merchandise is sold out, we will not
be replenishing inventory."
Diabetesdrug maker Novo Nordisk also said Thursday it and Deen have "mutually
agreed to suspend our patient education activities for now."
"For
now, we have decided to take a pause," QVC president and
CEO Mike George said in a statement. "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."
In
response, Deen issued a statement to her QVC customers saying, "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."
Target
and QVC join Walmart and Caesars Entertainment (Wednesday),
Smithfield Foods (Monday), and the Food Network (last Friday) in the
list of companies no longer doing business with Deen.
But
not everyone is running fast in the other direction.
Retailers
JC Penney and Sears have not said the will stop selling her products.
The
fate of her magazine “Cooking with Paula Deen” remains unknown.
Its Alabama-based publisher Hoffman Media told a local news outlet
that it “does not condone discrimination of any kind,” adding "we
are not in a position to discuss her magazine and contract right
now.” Hoffman Media did not respond to a request for further
comment.
And
Deen's annual “Paula Deen Cruise” on board the “Mariner of the
Seas” has been flooded with so many calls, the cruise is adding an
extra departure in 2014.
"Due
to so many requests from Paula’s fans in the past we are actually
planning two cruises for 2014 and look forward to both," a rep
for the cruise told FOX411's Pop Tarts column. "It’s always an
amazing time with Paula, her family and fans. If she goes – we
go."
Deen,
66, is also still scheduled to make appearances at the Metropolitan
Cooking and Entertaining Show in Houston and Dallas in September, and
in Washington, DC in November. She remains a key personality on the
website with tickets to see her specifically ranging from $95 to
$500.
“PaulaDeen has been a friend of The Metropolitan Cooking & EntertainingShow for many years. She has apologized and we are taking her apology
at her word and moving forward accordingly,” the show's rep told
us. “The Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show does not
condone or believe in the use of derogatory slurs by anyone. This is
a nation of forgiveness and second chances. In that spirit we intend
to go forward with the MetroCooking Shows in Houston, Dallas and
Washington, DC as planned with Paula as a presenter.”
And
for publisher Random House, slated to release “Paula Deen’s New
Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up” in October, her
predicament has proven to be a book-selling bonanza. The cookbook,
ranked in the 1,500s on Monday, moved all the way to No. 1 on
Thursday.
Source:foxnews
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