Paula Deen’s sons: Mom is not a racist; case is extortion, character assassination

Paula Deen’s sons Jamie and Bobby broke their silence on CNN’s New Day in an exclusive interview with co-host Chris Cuomo. The Deen brothers told Cuomo that they’ve never heard their mother speak the way she did in the deposition and the full truth will come out. Bobby claimed that his mother is not a racist and the case is extortion and character assassination.

The Deen brothers defend Paula Deen’s reputation in light of the fallout from her deposition in a discrimination lawsuit that went public last week. Since then, Food Network cancelled her contract and Smithfield Products dropped her endorsement. Jamie and Bobby Deen operate a restaurant, The Lady and Sons in Savannah, Georgia, with their mom.

“Our mother was under oath asked in a deposition to pour over her entire life and to admit whether or not she had ever heard or used this word and it broke her heart to have to answer truthfully and say, yes that she had ,” Bobby Deen said. “But the important thing here is for people to know that that is not her heart…. We were raised in a family with love and of faith and a house where God lived. And neither one of our parents ever taught us to be bigoted towards any other person for any reason and this is so saddening to me because our mother is one of the most compassionate, good hearted, empathetic people that you’d ever meet. And these accusations are very hurtful to her and it’s very sad. And frankly, I’m disgusted by the entire thing because it began as extortion and it has become character assassination….”

“… There are opportunists and my mom has admitted and she has apologized and as a person what more can you do,” Jamie Deen said.

New Day airs weekday mornings from 6-9am ET on CNN.