Paula Deen’s Net Worth, Height, Age, & Personal Info Wiki

Stella Aurora

Paula Deen is a well-known American television chef, author, cook, host, and restaurateur. “Paula’s Home Cooking,” aired on the “Food Network from 2002 through 2013, helped Paula Deen become well-known as a chef.

From there, she rose to popularity quickly and established a food empire spanning cookbooks, periodicals, and television shows. However, she has also been dogged by controversy.

Paula Deen's Appearance (Height, Hair, Eyes & More)

Height 5 ft 4 in
1.65 m
Weight 143 pounds
65 kg
Hair Color Blonde
Eye Color Blue
Body Type Average
Sexual Orientation Straight

Facts About Paula Deen

Nationality American
Estimate Net Worth $X.X million
Religion Christianity (Baptist)
Zodiac Sign Capricorn
Birthplace Albany, Georgia, United States
Birthday MONTH XX. YEAR

Paula Deen's Net Worth

Paula Deen is estimated to be worth $16 million. This well-known chef owns a restaurant with her two kids and has written several best-selling cookbooks with cooking instructions. She launched her business empire from a modest beginning in Georgia and is also an Emmy Award winner for her television cooking show, “Paula’s Home Cooking.” 

She makes around $7 million from her merchandising agreements with Target Corp., Home Depot, and Wal-Mart. She receives roughly $2.5 million yearly from her Food Network television show. However, all of these profitable partnerships have been weakened by allegations of prejudice against her.

Despite allegations against her and the loss of these highly lucrative engagements, Deen continues to generate a sizable amount of revenue from her other enterprises. About 30% of her income comes from her restaurant business. She also runs successful publishing companies for books and magazines. For instance, she publishes “Cooking with Paula Deen,” a cooking magazine with a readership of over 7.5 million.

You may also be interested in: Justin Timberlake’s net worth

Paula Deen's Early Life

Paula Ann Hiers was born nearly two years after the 2nd world war, on January 19, 1947, in Albany, Georgia. Her parents are Corrie A. Paul and Earl Wayne Hiers Sr. She was reared as a Baptist and is still committed to her religion. She is of Scottish and English heritage. (1)

young Paula Deen

By the time Deen was 23, both of her parents had passed away. This tragedy caused Deen to develop chronic agoraphobia and panic attacks, so she retreated into cooking which made her calm. (2)

Paula Deen's Education

Paula Deen studied home economics at Albany State University after graduating from Albany High School in Albany, Georgia.

Paula Deen's Personal Life

Jimmy Deen (1965 – 1989)

Paula Deen and Jimmy Deen wedding photo

When Deen was just 18 years old, she wed Jimmy Deen. Despite having two children with him and having been married for 24 years. Their marriage was unhappy, and in 1989 they divorced. Their two sons are Jamie Deen and Bobby Deen. Both are current restaurateurs.

Michael Groover (2004 – Present)

When Paula Deen first met her husband, Michael Groover, she wasn’t looking for love; instead, she was looking for her dogs when cherished canine pets ran away from the yard. The two had been neighbors, and accidentally the dog ran to his house, where they met. (3)

After their first encounter, Groover brought Deen out for a trip on his brand-new boat. The two went on many more dates after that, and they wed at Bethesda Academy in Savannah in 2004. 

Since they have been getting along well for almost two decades, it seems they will stay the same views for a while.

Paula Deen's Career

Author

Paula Deen Magazine

In 1997, Paula Deen self-published her first cookbook. She later released two other cookbooks that she co-wrote with Martha Nesbit. Additionally, in April 2007, she worked with Simon & Schuster to publish her memoir “It Ain’t All About the Cookin.” “Cooking with Paula Deen,” a lifestyle publication that Deen founded in November 2005, claimed to have 7.5 million readers as of March 2009.

Television Personality

Paula Deen on TV

Gordon Elliott brought Deen along for a few episodes of the show “Doorknock Dinners,” She also made an appearance on “Ready, Set, Cook!” Early in 2001, Deen filmed a pilot called “Afternoon Tea,” After impressing the network, they granted her her show. 

In November 2002, “Paula’s Home Cooking made its Food Network debut. Gordon Elliott served as the program’s executive producer. The show was initially filmed in Millbrook, New York, but starting in November 2005, production moved to her Savannah, Georgia, home.

Deen later said in September 2014 that she would launch her network. On March 11, 2015, the Paula Deen Channel debuted on Roku. Positively Paula,” a syndicated television program hosted by Deen, premiered in October 2016.

Entrepreneur

“The Bag Lady,” Deen’s catering company, was first run out of her kitchen. As the company expanded, she relocated in 1991 and opened a restaurant called The Lady in the Best Western on the south side of Savannah, Georgia. Deen established The Lady & Sons on West Congress Street in downtown Savannah in January 1996. 

A short while later, it relocated to a historic structure on Whitaker. The Lady & Sons were selected the “International Meal of the Year” in 1999 by USA Today. In addition, Deen was the owner of four casino buffets at the Harrah’s Casinos in Tunica, Mississippi, Cherokee, North Carolina, Horseshoe, Southern Indiana, and Joliet, Illinois. 

But in 2013, each of these buffets underwent a rebranding. She also shared ownership of Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House in Savannah, Georgia, which closed abruptly in April 2014 and reopened as Paula Deen’s Creek House in June 2017. Deen has also been involved in two restaurants in Texas, Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Deen revealed her new dessert line, which will be offered at Walmart, in September 2009. It featured the house specialties Apple Crunch Top and Dark Rum Pecan pies, Old Fashioned Fudge, and Gooey Butter Cake bars made in the St. Louis style. In “Elizabethtown” (2005), Deen made her acting debut as the aunt of Orlando Bloom’s character. Her food was featured in part. The program “Paula Goes Hollywood” from the Food Network aired alongside the film’s premiere.

Paula Deen's Controversies

Paula Deen in hot water on racism issue

The Food Network stated they would not renew Deen’s contract in 2013 following a scandal in which Deen acknowledged using racist insults in a social media post during a deposition for a lawsuit.

Lisa Jackson sued Deen for racial and sexual discrimination in June 2013. The judge dropped the case, but Deen faced intense criticism after admitting in her deposition that she had previously used a racial slur. With the Food Network, Smithfield Foods, Walmart, Target, QVC, Caesars Entertainment, Novo Nordisk, Sears, and Kmart, she ultimately lost publishing partnerships and endorsement contracts.

A 2011 photo of Deen dressed as Lucy Ricardo from the television program “I Love Lucy” and her son Bobby dressed as the character Ricky Ricardo in brownface makeup has also caused controversy, as has criticism of Deen’s usage of sugar in recipes.

Paula Deen's Humanitarian Works

The Bag Lady Foundation, named after her first company, was founded by Paula Deen in 2012 to give women and families assistance when needed. (4)

The Bag Lady Foundation’s goal is to enhance women, kids, and families independence, health, and well-being.

The organization aims to supply food, educate people about nutrition, and aid local initiatives to feed the hungry. Additionally, it supports organizations that assist vulnerable women in regaining their strength and independence.

You may also be interested in: Morgan Freeman’s net worth

References

  1. Editors, Paula Deen, retrieved by https://www.biography.com/media-figure/paula-deen#:~:text=with%20Positively%20Paula.-,Early%20Life,panic%20attacks%20and%20chronic%20agoraphobia.
  2. Web Post, Paula Deen Net Worth, retrieved from https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/richest-celebrity-chefs/paula-deen-net-worth/
  3. Jessica A. Scott, The Truth About Paula Deen’s Husband Finally Revealed, retrieved from https://www.mashed.com/171512/the-truth-about-paula-deens-husband-finally-revealed/?utm_campaign=clipRead More: https://www.mashed.com/171512/the-truth-about-paula-deens-husband-finally-revealed/?utm_campaign=clip
  4. Admin, The Bag Lady Foundation, retrieved from https://www.pauladeen.com/the-bag-lady/#:~:text=In%202012%2C%20Paula%20Deen%20established,during%20their%20time%20of%20need.

Share this post