Paula Deen is back in the spotlight, and this time it’s through her own lens. The celebrity chef’s new film, Canceled: The Paula Deen Story, premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, offering an unfiltered look at her rise, fall, and controversial legacy. The Paula Deen documentary doesn’t shy away from her headline-making N-word scandal or her long-standing public feud with the late Anthony Bourdain.
The Rise and Fall of Paula Deen
The film traces Deen’s journey from a Savannah restaurant owner to a household name known for indulgent Southern cooking. Her empire, however, began to crumble in 2013 after she admitted in a legal deposition to having used the N-word in the past. The fallout was swift—major networks and sponsors cut ties, sending her career into a tailspin.
While Deen acknowledges the controversy, she maintains that her remarks were taken out of context and insists she is not racist. Several friends and associates appear in the documentary to defend her character, emphasizing that they never witnessed racial discrimination in her behavior.
Revisiting the Anthony Bourdain Feud
One of the documentary’s most talked-about segments revisits Deen’s feud with Anthony Bourdain. The acclaimed chef and travel host famously called Deen the “most dangerous woman in America” in 2011, criticizing her unhealthy recipes and her endorsement of a diabetes drug despite her culinary brand.
In the film, Deen fires back. “Anthony Bourdain did call me the most dangerous woman in America,” she recalls. “But I felt like he didn’t like anybody, not even himself.”
The Paula Deen documentary also shows archival footage of Bourdain critiquing her food and brand. Deen counters with her trademark sass, joking about his taste for exotic dishes like “bat brains” and insisting she’ll stick to fried chicken.
Reflection and Controversy
Deen expresses regret over how public their feud became, saying Bourdain “started something” even though the two never met. She once invited him to her home for a meal, but he never accepted. In a darker moment, she comments on his 2018 death by suicide, suggesting that his inner struggles shaped his criticism of others.
A Story of Reputation and Redemption?
Canceled isn’t just about Paula Deen’s critics—it’s about her attempt to reclaim her narrative. By confronting both her controversies and her critics head-on, the Paula Deen documentary seeks to reframe her legacy in the eyes of viewers. Whether audiences see it as redemption or revisionism remains to be seen.
