July 07, 2015
Celebrity chef and television personality Paula Deen stirred up more controversy Tuesday when she tweeted a photo that many are calling offensive.
The photo, which has since been deleted, shows her and her son in costumes portraying characters from the 1950s television show "I Love Lucy."
In the photo, she is portraying the character of Lucy, while her son Bobby, 45, is portraying the character of Ricky.
Ricky was portrayed by the late actor Desi Arnaz, who was of Cuban descent. Her son Bobby's face appears to be painted brown in an apparent attempt to match the skin color of the character.
.@Paula_Deen, saw that you just deleted this Tweet. Don't worry, I saved it for you. pic.twitter.com/1RcifEXYFD
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) July 7, 2015
Despite the photo being deleted, it has been saved by many through screenshots. Many on social media called the photo offensive.
When will Paula Deen learn? Never apparently
— Kristine Bishop (@kriistinebishop) July 7, 2015
In other news, Paula Deen: STILL RACIST!!!
— Josh Eichenbaum (@The_eichenBOMB) July 7, 2015
I'm disgusted by Paula Deen. It was such an ugly action to paint her son in brownface like it was cute smh.
— Sister Jude Martin (@WellyTopping) July 7, 2015
Deen has since apologized and fired her social media manager, a representative for the chef told E! News on Tuesday afternoon:
"Paula Deen's Social Media Manager posted a picture this morning of Paula and Bobby Deen dressed in costume as Lucy and Ricky, from I Love Lucy.This photograph is from a Halloween episode of Paula's Best Dishes that aired in 2011.
Paula immediately had this picture taken down as soon as she saw the post and apologizes to all who were offended. As such, Paula Deen Ventures has terminated their relationship with this Social Media Manager."
The controversy surrounding the photo follows a 2013 lawsuit in which a former employee accused her of racial discrimination and sexual harassment. Deen admitted to using the "N-word" in her deposition, however, she denied making racially charged jokes, and the court case was ultimately dismissed.
The controversy caused Deen, 68, to lose many publishing and television deals. Conversely, sales of her already published cookbooks increased following the lawsuit.
