Paul Drinkwater/NBCPaula Deen's back, y'all!
The celebrity chef made a public appearance this weekend in Texas, her first outing since the infamous N-word scandal in June, and it turned out to be a pretty emotional experience for the 66-year-old.
Deen broke down in tears after receiving continuous applause during a 10-minute standing ovation at the Metro Cooking & Entertaining show in Houston on Saturday.
"These are tears of joy, y'all," she said, according to People. "This is my first time out in three months...The one place I wanted to make my first step out was in Texas. You are forgiving folks with hearts as big as your state."
"We all experience pain in some way but pain is also a good thing because it makes you grow," Deen added before joining sons Bobby and Jamie for a cooking demo.
In case you forgot, the Southern cook got herself into some hot water over the summer after she and her restaurant co-owner brother, Bubba Hiers, were the subject of a lawsuit by a former restaurant employee who alleges she was the victim of sexual harassment.
During a videotaped deposition, Deen admitted to having used the N-word in the past, which led to the celeb getting dropped from numerous gigs.
However, in late August, a federal judge signed off on a deal to dismiss the discrimination lawsuit against Deen.
"While this has been a difficult time for both my family and myself, I am pleased that the Judge dismissed the race claims and I am looking forward to getting this behind me, now that the remaining claims have been resolved," Deen said in a statement obtained by E! News.
"During this time my faith has strengthened me and the tremendous outpouring of support as well as prayers from folks from all walks of life has been both humbling and overwhelming. I am confident that those who truly know how I live my life know that I believe in kindness and fairness for everyone."