Caesars Entertainment - Paula Deen Fallout

[Mben]

So what exactly did Paula Deen do that brought her food empire to an almost screeching halt? Under oath, she said she has made racial slurs in the past before. And now there are other accusations that she has recently used racial slurs and a sexual harassment lawsuit being brought against her by a former employee of hers.Now Caesars Entertainment has decided to not renew their business relationship with her. Deen has themed restaurants in four Caesars properties: Horseshoe Southern Indiana (near Louisville), Harrah's Tunica (outside Memphis), Harrah's Joliet (outside Chicago) and Harrah's Cherokee (North Carolina). The Food Network has dropped her and has replaced her shows already. Smithville Foods (a global pork product company) has dropped her also. Forbes last year ranked Deen the fourth highest-earning celebrity chef. She made $4.5 million in 2008 and has been on an upward climb every year since, banking $17 million in 2012, according to the magazine. Forbes wealth reporter Caleb Melby told ABCNews.com that an estimated $2.5 million of Deen's earnings come from the Food Network, which was paying her about $50,000 an episode. The Smithfield deal, in which Deen served as a spokeswoman for the brand, including her own line of hams, since 2006, will likely cost her another $1 million to $2 million.Deen has at least 17 licensing and endorsement partnerships, which, Melby said, make up about 30% of her earnings.<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/06/26/caesars-entertainment-drops-paula-deen/2459155/" >source</a>

 

[Mben]

So what should she have done? Lie under oath? Don't tell me that there isn't one person who works for any of those 3 companies that has not made a racial slur of some kind past or present. I do understand why they had to drop her to keep their image but I feel very bad for her. In a blink of an eye, all that she worked for has been tarnished forever. We all need to think before speaking and I mean that in more ways than one.

 

[omeg]

I agree Mben that many others there in her companies have likely used a racial slur before with no consequences.I feel bad for her as well.  In the blink of an eye, one small slip, and you suddenly find yourself on a downward spiral and all you have worked for is spinning out of control.Yet in todays society...It is simply unacceptable to even mess up once when you are as big as Paula Deen.I thought her apologies were sincere and should of been accepted.These are human beings too, just because they are a household name, folks feel they cannot make any type of mistake.  That would be so hard to live under the microscope like that.I am sure no one feels as bad about all this as Paula Dean. She made a mistake and is paying dearly for it. -- Edited by PMM2008 on Wednesday 26th of June 2013 04:42:30 PM