Paula Deen is back in the kitchen, y'all!
On Tuesday's all-new Meredith Vieira Show, the Southern cook opened up about the headline-making racial scandal that jeopardized the future of her career.
While she's officially back with a thriving digital network, Deen admitted that dealing with the scrutiny was anything but easy.
"Meredith, I have to say it's the hardest thing that I've ever been through in my life," she explained to the talk show host. "When people ask me, ‘Paula how does one get through things like that?' I tell you it was the four F's: My family, my friends, my faith, my fans."
She added, "My fans saved my life, they saved my life Meredith. They would not even consider me just going away."
Deen's career was tarnished in 2013 after she admitted to using the N-word during a taped deposition. Although the racial discrimination lawsuit was dropped, Food Network, QVC and other sponsors severed ties with the star.
When Meredith Vieira asked if she ever thought of leaving the spotlight for good, Deen admitted to considering the proposition.
"I didn't know what to think Meredith," she admitted. "If you've ever been in shock, you know, I couldn't think."
But once a family member discovered a pro-Paula Deen Facebook page, Deen couldn't help but be touched by the outpouring of support.
“I would get up every morning, get my coffee and go straight to that site and read everything those folks were saying to me,” she recalled. “Each day it made it easier to get up because I knew they were there with comforting words for me.”
Those gestures ultimately allowed the 68-year-old to establish a digital network that gives viewers access to Deen and her famous Southern home cooking.
“If any of you were on that website, I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Deen concluded.