What Anthony Bourdain Actually Thought About Paula Deen
Anthony Bourdain may be the food world's "Sultan of Sarcasm," providing biting critiques that could leave even Chef Gordon Ramsay speechless. Yet in his commentary, there is almost always universal respect for fellow cooks, warmth, and humor — that is, unless you're Paula Deen. To say that Bourdain didn't want any butter with that would be speaking mildly. In 2007, Bourdain stated in a blog post reshared on Reddit, "I'm reluctant to bash what seems to be a nice old lady. Even if her supporting cast is beginning to look like The Hills Have Eyes — and her food a True Buffet of Horrors. A recent Hawaii show was indistinguishable from an early John Waters film," (via Reddit).
Chef Bourdain goes on to describe his mischievous and totally not-PC daydreams. "I'd like to see her mad," he said and then compares Deen to a character in the film Pink Flamingos. While we all know that the beloved Kitchen Confidential author had a way with words, it does appear his dislike of Deen was the real deal.
Bourdain served up even more criticism of Paula Deen
Anthony Bourdain shared an additional round of criticisms in 2011 through both TV Guide and Twitter, where he stated his objections and then doubled-down on his position (via Hollywood Reporter). Paula Deen is described by Bourdain as the "most dangerous person in America" due to the health issues with her food and her "unholy connections with evil corporations." The acerbic chef describes his opinion further saying, "I would think twice before telling an already obese nation that it's OK to eat food that is killing us. Plus, her food sucks."
But Bourdain isn't done yet. In 2012, the No Reservations host had another biting critique for Deen's new partnership with a diabetes drug maker and her announcement that she has diabetes. "When your signature dish is hamburger in between a doughnut, and you've been cheerfully selling this stuff [...] It's in bad taste if nothing else," Bourdain told Eater. Yet when asked about his regular criticism of Deen, the chef mostly describes her as a non-point in his life, simply noting, "I take no pleasure in it. There ain't nothing funny about Diabetes."
And while this might seem like some serious shade to us, apparently it all just rolls off Paula Deen. Deen commented on criticisms to USA Today, later shared by ABC, "I don't care what the haters and naysayers say. If they make jokes about me, I'll laugh because they'll probably be funny," (via ABC).