Paula Deen On 'The Chew': Star Talks Diabetes, Pharma Deal And Eats Birthday Cake (VIDEO)

On Wednesday afternoon, Paula Deen appeared on "The Chew" to discuss her diabetes announcement. After her appearance on the "Today Show" yesterday, backlash (and backlash to the backlash) was immediate, with many people frustrated that Deen, despite being diagnosed with diabetes in 2008, only announced it after signing an endorsement deal with drugmaker Novo Nordisk. Her "Chew" appearance probably won't change any minds, as segments ranged from tears of sadness to suggestive comments about a pickle.

"Everyone is talking about Paula Deen right now," Clinton Kelly told her. Deen mocked surprise, and asked, "Are they?" She explained that she "thinks" it has been close to three years since she found out about diabetes and emphasized that "diabetes is not a death sentence." Deen acknowledged small changes in her diet, as she said on the "Today Show," and again claimed that she's abstained from sweet tea since her diagnosis. She also insisted that her show is "for your entertainment," and that she has never instructed anyone to go eat her food every day.

Then, she turned up the emotions, saying that after she dies and you hear her name, "I hope you associate the word 'hope' with it." She said that she does not blame herself for her diabetes and cites several causes for the disease -- including stress, age and race -- but did not mention diet outright.

When asked about her deal with Novo Nordisk, Deen explained that yes, she is working and therefore she should be compensated. Her sons chimed in, explaining how the deal will help millions of people and she will inspire people to go to the doctor to get checked. They are in a position to save lives, the family believes.

Then things move away from the serious to a game in which the Deens and the hosts had to guess ingredients that are put on people's foreheads. Deen described a pickle as long and hard.

Toward the end of the episode, Michael Symon brought out a giant birthday cake -- Thursday is Paula's birthday. Deen is portioned a generous slice. After all, as she said on "Today," "You can have diabetes and have a piece of cake. You cannot have diabetes and eat a whole cake."

Watch highlights from the episode below:

Comments

[Maureen GilletteFord]

09:16 PM on 02/07/2012

Holy Crap people, she is not winning any Kiddos with me. She acts like she doesn't have a clue, like she is Heidi Mc-flighty..........."I make lots of money because Im sick from eating Crap food every day and now a HUGE medicine company is paying me "BIG TIME" to promote this WONDERFUL drug...." Argh, makes me want to vomit! She more than likely has no clue what the side effects are on this drug! She should promote healthy food now, she is a hypocrite.....its no different than telling your kids not to smoke while puffing away on your own cigarette!

[rosemaryann ward]

12:35 PM on 01/24/2012

i love paula deen and lets not forget that she is entertaining not our doctor,
I love dinner drive ins and dive and itis not diet foord Paula Deen is a peach

[Ghostberry]

08:46 PM on 01/22/2012

Nauseatingly disingenous, not her fault, eat some cake. She has no excuse to plead ignorant as a spokesperson for diabetes, the stance she is taking is like saying that if you pull out you can control aids.

[Steveh0607]

04:59 PM on 01/20/2012

She's not doing anyone any favors. Since she is in the public eye she should not eat any cake at all if on TV. Of course she shouldn't be eating any cake at all at any time now. And she shouldn't be fooling around with her disease. It's serious and she needs to act like it is. Type 2 can be reversed but it takes a long hard commitment of seriously restricting carbohydrates for the rest of her life.

[timeformusic]

03:45 PM on 01/31/2012

That's nonsense, and she CAN eat cake if she wants to. In fact, a diabetic can eat anything they want to as long as it's in moderation, and included in their meal plan. If they eat the cake, then they need to reduce other carbs (i.e., a slice of bread or a roll) in place of it.

[Steveh0607]

07:52 AM on 02/01/2012

Many type 2 diabetics who stick to a low carb diet can ditch the medication and live healthier and happier lives.

Telling diabetics they can eat their cake is nonsense because they are insulin resistant. Moderation is playing russian roulette.

The goal is to reverse the disease or at least put it into remission, not to manage it a little better while still taking drugs.

[p c r]

04:15 PM on 01/19/2012

Actually, most people with diabetes cannot have a big piece of of cake without causing their blood glucose to soar, and then plummet to dangerous levels after their pancreas then sends out a spurt of whatever insulin it has left to counteract it.
Alos, diet and weight are the main causes of Type II Diabetes. The body hits the point where the pancreas is unable to keep up with all the sugar coming in-- and simple carbohydrates immediately convert to sugar. Strees might be a factor, but not a major one. Deen is in denial and is giving bad advice to diabetics.
I liked her as a host, but hiding her disease while touting unhealthy foods until she gets a multimillion dollar drug contract for being sick-- and THEN giving bad advice to diabetics diminishes any respect or liking I had for her.

[Steveh0607]

05:00 PM on 01/20/2012

Well said.

[fifille]

03:39 PM on 01/19/2012

Love, love Paula Deen and her recipes. Made her shrimp and grits lat week for Sunday supper. I teach dance 5 nights a week and I am in shape. However, let me tell you if I ever get a night off and I want to make dinner, I sure as fire am going to do it right!

I am thin because I love good food of all kinds. But I love to cook good old fashioned southern food once in a while. Maybe if ya'll got off your couches once in a while you could enjoy some more southern cooking too!

Give the lady a break. Americans are always blaming someone else for the fact that they are a bunch of fatties.

[timeformusic]

03:43 PM on 01/31/2012

Touché!!

[ClevelandLib]

01:30 PM on 01/19/2012

Yeah...that piece of cake should have been 1/3 the size for a diabetic. But don't worry, she can afford the $500/month cost for the drug she's pushing.

[p c r]

04:20 PM on 01/19/2012

I made the same point in my post. IF a diabetic does eat a piece of cake, it is unhealthy and even dangerous to eat that much. The high blood glucose levels from it result in permanent damage to the optic nerves and the circulation in the hands, feet and many organs.
She should not be giving bad advice on the airwaves. Too many people will believe her, in their ignorance, and do as she says. The won't have the millions from big pharma to pay for their surgeries to amputate or their dialysis, unfortunately.

[timeformusic]

03:42 PM on 01/31/2012

And I ask yet again... How do you know she ate the whole piece? That's right. You don't.

[PuertoRicanprincess]

10:54 AM on 01/19/2012

I hate her accent, the way she talks, she's not a real chef, she just cooks, Gordon Ramsay is a chef, Anthony Bourdain, Emeril Lagasse, those are chefs, get it?

[ThinkCreeps]

11:39 AM on 01/19/2012

Cooks? That's generous.

[PuertoRicanprincess]

12:52 PM on 01/19/2012

true! :) she sucks!

[RedDog79]

12:09 PM on 01/19/2012

harsh. every chef started out as a cook didn't they?

[PuertoRicanprincess]

12:53 PM on 01/19/2012

not harsh, it's the truth, i can do what she does, a real cheft doesn't use a doughnut as bread, just saying

[consandy]

04:09 AM on 01/19/2012

Paula grew up in an era where health food was not the focus like it is today. Her show reflects her southern culture and the cooking of folks like her grandmother and uncle who taught her. I'm a bit younger than she is and I can tell you, my mom didn't skimp on the butter and sugar either . Unfortunately, we were also guinea pigs for food additives, poison-sprayed fruits and vegetables, and trans-fats. Doctors back then didn't tell you to quit smoking for your high blood pressure or eat right for it either! Paula was a single mom and pulled herself up by her bootstraps to raise her kidsI don't think she went out of her way to be hypocritical. She's human and found herself in a weird situation. I'm not willing to beat her up for that. If her status can bring awareness about Type 2 Diabetes then more power to her. We learn by our mistakes and experiences.

I love Anthony Bourdain but he's like the pot calling the kettle black!! On an episode of The Layover he said he was on Lipitor. Maybe he's pi$$ed because they didn't ask him to be a spokesperson!! Ha!.

[Linda in NJ]

10:16 AM on 01/19/2012

Oh come on Deen and Bourdain, not even in the same boat. Deen is just a selfish person....I don't think you would ever see Bourdain endorse any drug. Ever. I don't think he is a money grubber like her.

[consandy]

04:34 PM on 01/19/2012

Look, everyone on TV is selfish in some way. It's a sef-centered business. Both of these folks struggled in their lives and both of them are well-compensated to push food. Bourdain eats so much animal fat I cringe sometimes. Maybe you didn't see the show on Amsterdam, but he certainly was enjoying some smoke. They're both pushers of pleasure. Frankly I don't see anything wrong with it. We who watch should be discerning enough to know what's good for us and what isn't!
!

[ClevelandLib]

01:31 PM on 01/19/2012

Bourdain wouldn't have done a ad campaign for Lipitor.

[consandy]

04:28 PM on 01/19/2012

That part was a joke. Hence the "Ha!"

[timeformusic]

03:37 PM on 01/31/2012

How would you know what he would or wouldn't do?

[rboxer]

01:21 AM on 01/19/2012

The lady is already in her sixties, give her a break! This society is so hyprocritical what about all the alcohol abuse,drug abuse,eating disorders and I could go on and on with issues. Stop pointing the finger at Deen for your faults. We all need to take RESPONSIBILITY for own actions.

[Demarcus Jackson]

01:48 AM on 01/19/2012

NO...I think people have a right to point fingers. I don't drink, smoke, do any drugs, and I try to eat healthy. I find it a bit reprehensible that Deen's reinforcing poor dietary habits, profiting off of it, and all the while walking around with Type 2 Diabetes and telling fans AFTER signing a big Pharma drug deal. There is an aspect of that is rightly judged as despicable, despite your apologist sentiments.

[rboxer]

02:04 AM on 01/19/2012

You are very lucky not to have any issues but I am sure you have eaten from a fast food joint one time in your life. Should you be prosecuted for that? We live in a very judgmental and spiteful society.

[RedDog79]

12:12 PM on 01/19/2012

here's the thing - just like nobody forced you to have good habits and you made up your own minnd to do so, I bet that the people who watch her weren't forced to do that either. all adults have the right to eat what they want - evidenced by the different sized people in America. as for type 2 diabetes - not everybody who eats poorly get it and not everbody who eats well is safe from it. there are many contributing factors to diabetes - including hereditary factors. maybe before you yelp about her you should do a little reading on the subject.

[climbing panda]

02:11 PM on 01/19/2012

the whole point is that she profited and will continue to profit from a lie of omission.

[tster1965]

12:02 AM on 01/19/2012

I stopped watching Paula Deen after she became too commercial.

[Linda in NJ]

10:17 AM on 01/19/2012

I never watched her but I think she was doing well enough without having to endorse a drug. It just looks bad.....

[hauruck]

10:58 PM on 01/18/2012

homf homf homf

[duchess28906]

10:39 PM on 01/18/2012

Lord have mercy people! Do you have common sense? Like my mama said, "If Paula Deen jumps off a building into a vat of butter, do you have to follow her?" Comeon folks lighten up......use your noggin.

[InedaName]

11:05 PM on 01/18/2012

If Paula Deen is being paid to smile and sell you Victoza for your Type 2 diabetes at a cost of $500 a month, do you have to follow her?

No, but that won't make any money for Paula or Novo Nordisk.

[ThinkCreeps]

11:41 AM on 01/19/2012

If you have diabetes then you need to do something

You could always eat less and do some exercise.
That's not a bad way to save $500 a month.

[Steveh0607]

05:07 PM on 01/20/2012

Actually jumping into a vat of butter wouldn't cause diabetes. A vat of sugar, however, would.

[ageorgia]

10:13 PM on 01/18/2012

It's very unfortunate that Paula has diabetes. I'm sad for her and her family. I certainly hope that this will be a wake up call for many Americans to change their lifestyle and eating habits so that they can avoid preventable diseases such as diabetes. It would be great if Paula would now use her status to help her fans by creating a new healthier show and cookbooks! NutritionFacts.org posted a blog about this today which everyone should take a few minutes to read and share with friends. http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/01/18/paula-deen-diabetes-drug-spokesperson/

[p c r]

04:31 PM on 01/19/2012

I am sad that she is still, after 3 years, so misinformaed and passing on her misinformation as if it were truth.
A diabetic should NEVER have a gargantuan piece of cake like that. Portion sizes are extremely important to someone with Diabetes Mellitus. She is endorsing that others like her (grossly undereducated) should follow her unhealthy ways, but they may not have the extra $500 a month cash for the drugs or the extra cash for the dialysis or limb amputations associated with the intake of massive amounts of sugar while being diabetic.

[timeformusic]

03:29 PM on 01/31/2012

Good grief!! Just because the slice was cut THAT big, doesn't mean she ate the WHOLE thing!! And before you start preaching to me, I cook for and eat with a diabetic, so I know what I'm talking about.

[sheoples]

09:58 PM on 01/18/2012

next to endorse cholesterol fighting drug....epic mealtime.