Paula Deen to Go on Nationwide Tour
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Slaven Vlasic/Getty ImagesNEW YORK) — After spending the previous year battling negative headlines, TV personality Paula Deen is hitting the comeback trail with a 20-city nationwide tour.
Paula Deen Ventures announced Monday that the celebrity cook will kick-off “Paula Deen Live!” on June 21 in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. The 90-minute show will feature storytelling and cooking demonstrations, along with interactive games.
The first seven shows of Deen’s tour were also announced, and will include Atlanta, Nashville, Tenn., San Antonio, and Savannah, Ga. The additional 13 shows will be announced soon.
Tickets go on sale to the general public starting May 1 at 10 a.m.
Deen’s announcement comes three weeks after Uncle Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House — the Savannah, Ga., restaurant she co-owned with her brother, Earl W. “Bubba” Hiers Jr. — closed its doors.
The restaurant was at the center of Deen’s cascading troubles last year, which began when a former Uncle Bubba’s employee filed a lawsuit against Deen, alleging racial and sexual discrimination. In a deposition in the case, Deen admitted she had used a racial slur 30 years prior.
The fallout, including Deen’s widely-criticized attempts to explain herself, caused numerous sponsors to abandon her and the TV Food Network to end its association with her. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed following a settlement.
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