The exodus continues.
J.C. Penney Co. and Sears Holdings Corp. said Friday that they’re cutting ties with Paula Deen, adding to the list of companies severing their relationship following revelations that the Southern celebrity chef used racial slurs in the past.
Penney spokeswoman Daphne Avila said the Plano-based company has decided to discontinue selling her Paula Deen merchandise in stores and plans to remove her products from jcp.com over the weekend.
Another huge blow came late Friday when Deen’s publisher canceled a deal with her for multiple books, including an upcoming cookbook that moved into the No. 1 spot on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com since the controversy started last week.
Ballantine Books said it would not release Paula Deen’s New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up, which was scheduled for release in October.
Whole deal canceled
Ballantine, an imprint of Random House Inc., said it had decided to cancel the book’s publication after “careful consideration.” It had no comment beyond what was in its brief statement, spokesman Stuart Applebaum said.
Deen’s literary agent, Janis Donnaud, said the entire deal had been called off but she was “confident” that a new publisher would emerge.
Sears and Kmart said stores will phase out all products tied to the brand after “careful consideration of all available information,” said Amy Diamond, a spokeswoman at the parent company of both chains. “We will continue to evaluate the situation.”
QVC took a more gentle approach Friday and announced that it was “taking a pause” from Deen. The home shopping network said that Deen won’t be appearing on any upcoming broadcasts and it will phase out her product assortment on its online sales channels over the next few months.
“We all think it’s important, at this moment, for Paula, to concentrate on responding to the allegations against her and her path forward,” said Mike George, QVC’s president and CEO in a letter posted on the company’s website.
But QVC left the door open for Deen to return. “Some of you wonder whether this is a ‘forever’ decision — whether we are simply ending our association with Paula. We don’t think that’s how relationships work. People deserve second chances.”
Earlier this week, Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreen and Home Depot all announced that they plan to stop selling cookware and other items with Deen’s brand. Kohl’s hasn’t made a public statement, but only four Deen items come up during a search on kohls.com.
Novo Nordisk said Thursday that it and Deen have “mutually agreed to suspend our patient education activities for now.” Deen, who specializes in Southern comfort food, had been promoting the company’s drug Victoza since last year, when she announced she had Type 2 diabetes.
Caesars Entertainment also announced that Deen’s name is being stripped from four buffet restaurants owned by the company. Last week, the Food Network said that it would not renew her contract, and Monday pork producer Smithfield Foods dropped her as a spokeswoman.
High stakes
The stakes are high for Deen, whom Forbes magazine ranked as the fourth-highest-earning celebrity chef last year, bringing in $17 million. She’s behind Gordon Ramsay, Rachael Ray and Wolfgang Puck, according to Forbes.
The Associated Press,
staff writer Maria Halkias
Follow Maria Halkias on Twitter at @MariaHalkias.
J.C. Penney Co. and Sears Holdings Corp. said Friday that they’re cutting ties with Paula Deen, adding to the list of companies severing their relationship following revelations that the Southern celebrity chef used racial slurs in the past.
Penney spokeswoman Daphne Avila said the Plano-based company has decided to discontinue selling her Paula Deen merchandise in stores and plans to remove her products from jcp.com over the weekend.
Another huge blow came late Friday when Deen’s publisher canceled a deal with her for multiple books, including an upcoming cookbook that moved into the No. 1 spot on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com since the controversy started last week.
Ballantine Books said it would not release Paula Deen’s New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up, which was scheduled for release in October.
Whole deal canceled
Ballantine, an imprint of Random House Inc., said it had decided to cancel the book’s publication after “careful consideration.” It had no comment beyond what was in its brief statement, spokesman Stuart Applebaum said.
Deen’s literary agent, Janis Donnaud, said the entire deal had been called off but she was “confident” that a new publisher would emerge.
Sears and Kmart said stores will phase out all products tied to the brand after “careful consideration of all available information,” said Amy Diamond, a spokeswoman at the parent company of both chains. “We will continue to evaluate the situation.”
QVC took a more gentle approach Friday and announced that it was “taking a pause” from Deen. The home shopping network said that Deen won’t be appearing on any upcoming broadcasts and it will phase out her product assortment on its online sales channels over the next few months.
“We all think it’s important, at this moment, for Paula, to concentrate on responding to the allegations against her and her path forward,” said Mike George, QVC’s president and CEO in a letter posted on the company’s website.
But QVC left the door open for Deen to return. “Some of you wonder whether this is a ‘forever’ decision — whether we are simply ending our association with Paula. We don’t think that’s how relationships work. People deserve second chances.”
Earlier this week, Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreen and Home Depot all announced that they plan to stop selling cookware and other items with Deen’s brand. Kohl’s hasn’t made a public statement, but only four Deen items come up during a search on kohls.com.
Novo Nordisk said Thursday that it and Deen have “mutually agreed to suspend our patient education activities for now.” Deen, who specializes in Southern comfort food, had been promoting the company’s drug Victoza since last year, when she announced she had Type 2 diabetes.
Caesars Entertainment also announced that Deen’s name is being stripped from four buffet restaurants owned by the company. Last week, the Food Network said that it would not renew her contract, and Monday pork producer Smithfield Foods dropped her as a spokeswoman.
High stakes
The stakes are high for Deen, whom Forbes magazine ranked as the fourth-highest-earning celebrity chef last year, bringing in $17 million. She’s behind Gordon Ramsay, Rachael Ray and Wolfgang Puck, according to Forbes.
The Associated Press,
staff writer Maria Halkias
Follow Maria Halkias on Twitter at @MariaHalkias.