Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Paula Deen's new documentary follows her downfall after her headline-making N-word controversy. The film also chronicles her feud with Anthony Bourdain, who died by suicide in 2018. Deen says in the film that Bourdain "didn't like anybody, not even himself." Celebrity cookPaula Deenisn't mincing words when it comes to one of her most vocal former detractors, as the southern foodie takes a devastating swipe at the lateAnthony Bourdainin her new documentaryCanceled: The Paula Deen Story. The film, which premiered Saturday at the 2025Toronto International Film Festival, charts Deen's rise to prominence as a purveyor of deep-fried delicacies throughout the late '90s and early aughts, through to her near-career-ending 2013 scandal that saw her admit in a legal deposition (stemming from a lawsuit by a former employee of her brother's restaurant) that she "of course" used the N-word at one point in her life. Canceledalso highlights other controversies in Deen's career, including her public spats with Bourdain, the world-traveling chef andCNNtravel documentarian wholater died by suicide in 2018. "Anthony Bourdain did call me the most dangerous woman in America," Deen says in the documentary, amid flashes of archival news clips from 2011 that see journalists recounting Bourdain labeling Deen as the "worst, most dangerous person in America." Daniel Boczarski/Getty Bourdain himself is shown in the film saying, "This is not southern food she's been selling. Her brand has been all these years, novelty food." He's additionally shown slamming her paid partnership with a drug corporation to hawk diabetes medication. Deen's son, Bobby, then laments Bourdain's additional assertion that his mom's food "sucks," saying, "I think both are inaccurate," while archival footage of Deen onThe Joy Behar Showincludes her taking another swipe at Bourdain's penchant for exotic foods, quipping, "Let me tell you something, girlfriend. Maybe [my food] is bad for you, but I don't go around eating or serving unwashed anuses of wildebeests." Back in her documentary interview, Deen takes another shot at Bourdain: "I don't know what he was off in these foreign countries eating. Bat brains or something like that," she says. "I think I'll just stick with my fried chicken." Later, speaking about his death, Deen says, "God rest his soul. I felt like he didn't like anybody. Not even himself, maybe." The documentary then plays an older clip of Bourdain referencing another one of Deen's comments about him. "I like the quote, it was, 'Well, he has had his demons, I hope he had them under control.' He's probably still shooting dope, is probably what she's saying in a nice kind of southern way," Bourdain says. Deen eventually voices disappointment over their public feud, telling the documentary crew, "He started something with me, and I'd never even met him," while the film shows an older shot of Deen making a public call for Bourdain to come to her home to eat a home-cooked meal, which he never took her up on. The segment ends with another shot of Bourdain telling a journalist it would take "nuclear war" for him to agree to eat Deen's cooking. Discovery Canceledalso probes into Deen's defining controversy after she admitted in her deposition to using the N-word in the past. The headline-making incident occurred after Lisa Jackson, a white employee who previously worked at one of Deen's many restaurants in Savannah, Ga., filed a lawsuit alleging racial bias. In the suit, Jackson additionally accused Deen's brother, the late Earl W. Hiers, of sexual harassment. In August 2013, afederal judge dismissed the racial biasportion of the suit, though, in her deposition, Deen had already admitted to using the N-word in the past (which she says in the documentary stemmed from a robbery incident years prior). Fallout from the admission hit Deen's career hard, with the Food Network declining to maintain ties with her, while she lost several endorsement deals. Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free daily newsletterto get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Deen maintains throughoutCanceledthat she isn't racist, and the film includes contributions from many of her associates who say that they also don't feel she has ever racially discriminated against others. At the time of the lawsuit, a spokesperson for Deen told theNew York Times, "As Ms. Deen has stated before, she is confident that those who truly know how she lives her life know that she believes in equal opportunity, kindness and fairness for everyone." Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
