Paula Deen reschedules 'Today' show appearance for Wednesday
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Paula Deen, who backed out of an appearance on the "Today" show at the last minute on Friday, will appear on the morning show on Wednesday.
Deen tweeted on Monday: "See you Wednesday, I am so glad Matt, Al and my friends at @TodayShow are bringing me back."
During the show's Monday morning broadcast Lauer announced that the celebrity cook would appear on Wednesday, even though she was a no-show when she was scheduled to answer questions about her past use of racial slurs.
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Lauer said Deen "told us she will be here this time."
While questioned last month in a discrimination lawsuit, the 66-year-old Food Network star admitted to using the N-word in the past, but she insisted she and her family do not tolerate prejudice.
Deen issued a strange, edited videotaped apology on Friday, in which she failed to address the controversy and avoided mentioning what she was apologizing for. The video was posted online briefly and swiftly removed after viewers criticized it. She later posted another video which addressed the scandal more directly.
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In her video message, she explained that she missed her “Today” show appearance because she was “physically not able” to attend the taping.
She concluded her apology by stating: “I will continue to work and continue to do good things for good people.”
But, hours later, the Food Network announced it wouldn't renew her contract when it ends this month.
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The network issued a statement last week insisting it “does not tolerate any form of discrimination and is a strong proponent of diversity and inclusion.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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