Paula Deen is under fire–again–after a picture was posted to her Twitter page Tuesday appearing to show her son Bobby in brownface makeup.
In the since-deleted photo, the celebrity chef and her son pose as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo from the 1950s TV show I Love Lucy. But Bobby Deen’s apparent use of brownface makeup in the shot caused a massive backlash on social media.
.@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
“Lucyyyyyyy! You got a lot of esplainin’ to do!” the original tweet was captioned, along with the hashtag “#TransformationTuesday.”
In a statement, a rep for Deen said that the photo was taken from a Halloween episode of cooking show Paula’s Best Dishes in 2011, and that a social media manager was responsible for posting it on Twitter.
“Paula immediately had this picture taken down as soon as she saw the post and apologizes to all who were offended,” Deen’s rep said. “As such, Paula Deen Ventures has terminated their relationship with this Social Media Manager.”
Deen immediately came under fire from from social media users after the photo made its way around the Internet Tuesday:
Maybe if a doctor could explain to Paula Deen that racism is like type 2 diabetes and you need to change your daily routine a little bit.
— Dan Telfer (@dantelfer) July 7, 2015
Is anyone really surprised that Paula Deen and her son learned NOTHING? Brownface. SMDH.
— Bjork Lesnar (@yvalaresistance) July 7, 2015
Let's be fair and remember that Paula Deen is equally prejudiced against the arteries of all people, regardless of color.
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) July 7, 2015
@paula_deen @bobbydeen Paula, *you* have a lot of esplainin' to do
— David (@DiscreetLatino) July 7, 2015
The photo flap comes two years after Deen was famously fired from the Food Network after admitting she used the N-word in a deposition and at one time considered throwing a “plantation-style” wedding.
Deen’s sons, Bobby and Jamie, are set to begin hosting their own show, “Southern Fried Road Trip,” on the Food Network next week.
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