E!It's been 15 months since Paula Deen was the center of a headline-making racial scandal, and the celebrity chef has had some time to reflect.
The Southern cook stopped by E! News to chat with Jason Kennedy and Catt Sadler about her rocky year and shared what she's gained from her rollercoaster ride of a year.
"I learned that no matter how old words get, they have a power. They have a power to hurt, they have a power to make people happy," she said. "Our books, our books are full of words, I found out that they can be very powerful and that they can hurt."
Deen added that her fans' support is what helped keep her head up. "I have never had anyone come up and say anything unkind to me. Not one time. And in fact, I got letters—I told my team I wanna take a picture with all the mail I got. I gathered strength from those people and my mail…some of them would have their phone numbers on there and I'd call them. So I'm calling them, and of course they'd think I was pranking them, and I'd say, 'Well, ask me something personal.'"
Paula's been able to bounce back from the controversy, and also spoke to us about her new network! She shares that while the kitchen is the heart of the home, there's a lot of life that happens outside of the kitchen, and all of that will be visible on the digital Paula Deen Network.
"Guess who's going digital, y'all! I'm so excited about my new online network and can't wait to show everyone what we've been working on," Deen said in a statement when she announced the big news in June.
"We're going to have so much fun being together and cooking up some wonderful new and classic dishes. Y'all can get my recipes, tips and cooking anytime you want—this is for you. I can't wait to crank up the oven and get cooking for the people I love: my family, my friends and my fans!"
Watch the clip to hear more from our interview with Paula Deen (and to see her check out Jason Kennedy's biceps!).
Make sure to tune in to E! News tonight at 7 p.m. & 11 p.m.!