Paula Deen's Cheeseburger Lands Her In Hot Water (VIDEO)

Poor Paula.

Last week, the Queen of Southern Cuisine announced that she had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Many (HuffPost Food included) were quick to blame her Crisco- and lard-heavy diet for her disease. And since then, she's been pilloried by the media (again: us included!) for the fact that she waited three years to reveal her diagnosis, choosing to come clean now only because she'd inked a multi-million dollar deal to endorse diabetes drug Victoza.

The ethics of her actions aside, Deen must be under a lot of stress right about now. She doesn't even have her longtime publicist Nancy Assuncao insulating her from the worst of the attacks any more. So it makes sense that she'd be relieved to be spending a week or so hosting her annual Paula Deen Party Cruise. It would be a time, she must have thought, to relax and enjoy herself, away from the prying eyes of the media.

But not even the high seas could keep Paula safe. When one camera-happy cruise passenger spotted Paula eating a cheeseburger and fries, he or she pounced, videotaping the feast and sending it back to shore.

It probably wasn't very smart of Paula to chow down on such rich fare so soon after her announcement. (Or really, at all, given the state of her health.) But we can't help but feel sympathetic towards a woman whose show and lifestyle products have brought us so much joy in the past.

Watch the gotcha video in all its can't-look-away glory:

Comments

[celeste1228]

08:25 AM on 02/18/2012

I wish you people would stop commenting on how Paula Deen eats. She is not forcing it down your thoart to eat the things she shows you how to cook. My mother grew up down the street from her in Savannah and my mom is not ill the way Pauls is. If you don't like what she is doing, DON'T WATCH, DON'T COMMENT, STAY AWAY FROM THE INTERNET, PAPER AND TV. Maybe then you can work on your own life. Furthormore she doesn't need the money to endorse a drug. She has more money then she knows what to with. Everyone get a life! YOU GO PAULA. HUGS AND KISSES

[Gail Stephens]

10:49 AM on 02/09/2012

My husband and I are both diabetic and eat cheeseburgers quite a bit; if the burgers are made with lean meat and you have a wheat or multgrain roll, there is nothing wrong, No wonder that she didn't want to tell anyone about her diabetes as everyone is standing in judgment of her. Get off her back people. Having diabetes is difficult enough without everyone commenting about every bite she takes. Still love you Paula!

[Jmsb1]

07:37 PM on 02/03/2012

So what if she's eating a cheeseburger? Nobody would be raising this fuss if she instead had a plate in front of her with a beef fillet, dinner roll, and small salad on it, but put those exact same food items into a sandwich form and now everyone is causing a huge ruckus. Completely ridiculous.

[Ann Clark]

01:02 PM on 01/31/2012

I like Paula. I like her vibrant outlook on her family and career. I am an educated adult that knows what constitutes a healthy diet and what does not. This is my responsibility, not Paula Deen. I know that I cannot scarf down many of Paula's recipes, mainly because I don't like what's in them. But I do like her and the messages she brings in her cooking. Who cares if she eats a hamburger or fries? I certainly don't. She is not my role model or nutritionist--she is a TV celebrity with a great peach cobbler recipe I like to use once a year during the holidays. Celebrity = entertainment.

[starson1]

07:35 AM on 01/31/2012

People think diabetes is all about sugar, but the saturated fat in meat and dairy appears to be the main culprit:
http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/01/18/paula-deen-diabetes-drug-spokesperson/

[Gail Stephens]

10:52 AM on 02/09/2012

What? Yes, you should watch your saturated fats, but it is mostly about overindulgence of white refined stuff like pasta, bread, etc. And yes, watch the diet sodas, too!

[RaiderFan13]

11:11 PM on 01/30/2012

She's a pig

[blddwarrior]

09:35 PM on 01/30/2012

She is a smart, strong, successful woman.
Most of us admire that.
Some of you just want to be mean.

[makebofapay]

07:19 PM on 01/30/2012

Move over Miss Piggy. You can't hold a rasher of bacon to this oinker. Y'all.

[Ophie511]

01:20 PM on 01/30/2012

Lol! I'm so glad to see that the majority of comments here essentially say this: she can eat whatever she wants! Why is this news? It is simply trying to stir the pot. She has diabetes, she can handle it however she wants to.

[KeepNIt2Real]

01:12 PM on 01/30/2012

She helped me make my decision for lunch...I'm off for a burger folks!

[Cratewasher]

11:45 AM on 01/30/2012

First step in healthier food policy? Demand Obama remove Monsanto executive Michael Taylor from the FDA.
http://signon.org/sign/tell-obama-to-cease-fda.fb1?source=s.fb&r_by=2133671

[kimo32]

11:39 AM on 01/30/2012

OK.....this is just unfair to her...she never held herself up as a nutritionist, medical expert or anything else other than a down home woman who liked butter and potatoes. If anyone is cooking and serving her recipes at every flipping meal than they are just plain stupid and deserve to weight three hundred pounds plus!! Just as anyone expecting to be as perfect as Martha Stewart or as perky (annoyingly so!) as Rachel Ray....needs to snap out of it and just move on. And if Paula signed a multimillion dollar deal because she is taking a medication and the company is hiring her for a spokeswoman gig......who the hell are we to judge! And considering all the bad press I am sure they are retinking that decision!!

[Eleanor Willows]

11:26 AM on 01/30/2012

This is beyond ridiculous. Who cares what she eats when she eats it? It's her business. Besides having diabetes does not mean one cannot ever eat a burger.

What is irritating are all these ads before each video. They're getting longer and longer.

[Linda Bazil]

10:37 AM on 01/30/2012

Shame on you. First, this is none of anyone's business. Second, for all you know she could be eating a turkey burger or extra lean beef and counting the bun towards her alotment of carbs for the day. Maybe she left half of it on her plate. Like another poster said, leave this woman alone!

[frank day]

10:45 AM on 01/30/2012

nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom.........

[bunzilla]

10:52 AM on 01/30/2012

Nope....looks like an all beef patty to me...please pass the fry sauce!

[lousackman420]

10:32 AM on 01/30/2012

She ate a cheeseburger!? Throw her in jail, give her the death penalty, someone call the president!!!