- Paula Deen reignites her feud with Anthony Bourdain in a new documentary premiered at TIFF.
- The film revisits Bourdain’s past criticisms and Deen’s combative responses.
- Deen also addresses her racial discrimination scandal and other controversies.
- She remains unapologetic, defending her past remarks and behavior.
- The documentary has sparked renewed debate about celebrity accountability and posthumous criticism.
Seven years after Anthony Bourdain’s death, Paula Deen is still fuming — and she’s making sure the world knows it. In her new documentary Canceled: The Paula Deen Story, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, the 78-year-old celebrity chef revisits her long-standing feud with Bourdain, reigniting a war of words that began more than a decade ago.
The film chronicles Deen’s rise, fall, and refusal to apologize for the controversies that nearly ended her career. Among them: Bourdain’s infamous jab in 2011, when he called her “the most dangerous person in America” — a comment Deen still finds deeply offensive. The documentary features archival footage of Bourdain criticizing Deen’s brand of Southern cooking and her partnership with pharmaceutical companies, which he saw as hypocritical given her diabetes diagnosis.
Deen fires back with characteristic bluntness, mocking Bourdain’s globe-trotting culinary adventures and taking aim at his personal struggles. Her remarks, layered with sarcasm and Southern bravado, have stirred fresh debate about the ethics of posthumous criticism and the limits of celebrity feuds.
But the documentary doesn’t stop at Bourdain. It also revisits Deen’s 2013 racial discrimination lawsuit, her controversial comments about slavery-themed events, and her history of insensitive jokes — including remarks about the death of fellow chef Carl Ruiz. At one point, Deen openly admits to using racial slurs and defends her behavior through her lawyer, who claims people “should not take any issue” with such language.
Despite the backlash, Deen remains unapologetic. The film paints her as defiant, combative, and unwilling to let go of past grievances — even those involving a man no longer alive to respond.
As Canceled makes its way through the festival circuit, it’s clear that Paula Deen isn’t seeking redemption. She’s seeking vindication — and she’s doing it on her own terms.
