Anthony Bourdain Sticks Up For Paula Deen, Despite Longtime Feud

Anthony Bourdain has long been a very vocal critic of Paula Deen but fell strangely silent when the Southern comfort chef became embroiled in her now-infamous racism scandal. Turns out that the reason is pretty simple. Anthony Bourdain is just an incredibly classy guy.

The No Reservations host once called Deen the “worst, most dangerous person to America” who “revels in her unholy connections with evil corporations” and is “proud of the fact that her food is f—ing bad for you.”

But just because he has harshly criticized the embattled chef in the past doesn’t mean he’s going to kick a rival while she’s down.

When asked by an Orlando Sentinel reporter what he thought of Deen’s recent scandal, Bourdain was uncharacteristically somber.

“It’s gives me no pleasure at all,” he said. “It ain’t pretty, either the charges or the reaction. I may have been an adversary or a critic of Miss Deen. It gives me no pleasure to see her torn apart by the people who were kissing her ass a week before.”

After it was revealed earlier this summer that Deen had used racial slurs in the past, the celebrity chef was dropped by a dozen companies and saw most of her professional relationships dissolve. She and her brother are being sued by a former employee who alleged racism and sexual harassment in the work environment.

The judge threw out the racial discrimination claims, saying that the complainant can’t file a grievance on behalf of another person or group. But many experts agree that the damage to Deen’s empire and reputation is done.

In any case, Paula Deen can probably thank her lucky stars for Anthony Bourdain right now. I smell a show.

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