Of all people to sympathize with Paula Deen regarding the accusations of racism leveled against her, it’s pretty surprising that the Reverend Al Sharpton is one of them.
Sharpton, who was stopped by TMZ on Monday, spoke in defense of the celebrity cook after she admitted to using racial slurs.
“A lot of us in the past have said things that we have regretted saying years ago,” Sharpton said.
He added he can’t make a judgment on Deen until it is determined whether she has engaged in discriminatory activities recently.
“You cannot deal with what is fair until we see the outcome of the present circumstances she’s accused of, not something 20 years ago,” Sharpton added.
Deen and her brother, Bubba Heirs, are being sued by a former employee Lisa T. Jackson. Jackson was a former manager of Uncle Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House in Georgia. She filed suit for sexual harassment, and said the work environment was hostile, violent and racist.
Several former employees of Deen and Heirs have testified that white employees are also routinely paid more than black employees and have more opportunities for promotion.
Deen’s court deposition transcript includes her admission to using the “n-word” in the past, as well as other racial language and racist jokes.
“I can’t, myself, determine what offends another person,” Deen said in her defense. The former Food Network show host also released two apology videos over the weekend.
The Food Network announced Friday that it will not renew Deen’s contract for her show when it expires at the end of June. Deen lost another job on Monday as well: she was dropped as a spokesperson for Smithfield Foods, a global pork producing company based in Virginia, USA Today reported.
After being a no-show for a scheduled Today Show appearance on Friday, Deen said she “was physically not able” to go.
“The pain has been tremendous,” Deen added.
