TV Chef Paula Deen Copes With Diabetes

Paula Deen vs. Anthony Bourdain

U. S. Today is reporting that Celebrity chef Paula Deen on Wednesday pledged a portion of her earnings from a lucrative endorsement deal with a diabetes drugmaker to the nonprofit American Diabetes Association.

The queen of Southern cooking and author of numerous cookbooks disclosed Tuesday that she's had Type 2 diabetes for three years while promoting high-fat, high-sugar recipes as usual on her Food Network TV shows. She also said Tuesday that she'd signed on as the face of a new diabetes health initiative sponsored by Novo Nordisk, the company that makes Victoza, a noninsulin injectable medication she now takes.

The ADA supports Deen's diabetes disclosure, said another spokeswoman, Geralyn Spollett, in a statement. Spollett added: "We commend her for speaking out on behalf of people with Type 2 diabetes and welcome her to the association's Stop Diabetes movement."

Deen added Novo Nordisk to other endorsement deals that include Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Smithfield hams.

Deen's sons are both paid Novo Nordisk endorsers as well. Bobby Deen is the new host of his own Food Network show, "Not My Mama's Cooking," which promotes recipes for a healthier lifestyle.

Deen said she had no help or advice to offer the public when she was first diagnosed, but feels she's making a contribution now.

None of that matters much to outspoken chef Anthony Bourdain, who has never been a Deen fan. He told Eater.com of her diabetes announcement: "When your signature dish is hamburger in between a doughnut, and you've been cheerfully selling this stuff knowing all along that you've got Type 2 diabetes ... it's in bad taste if nothing else."

Related articles

• Paula Deen Confirms She Has Type-2 Diabetes (usnews.com)
• Paula Deen teams with Novo Nordisk on diabetes (pbpulse.com)
• Chef Paula Deen hid diabetes, pushed high-fat food (sfgate.com)