Paula Deen was set appear on the Today show, to talk about her controversial use of racial slurs, but ended up being a no show. INSIDE EDITION reports.
Is the heat getting to Paula Deen?
The Food Network star was a last minute no show Friday morning at the Today show.
Deen had agreed to an exclusive interview with Matt Lauer to discuss the revelation that she had used racial slurs in the past.
Lauer said, "She got on a plane, arrived in New York City last night and then we started to hear from her people that she is exhausted."
Deen has been a guest on the Today show dozens of times, and Al Roker seemed to be speaking directly to her when he said, "She is a friend of the show, we consider her a friend and we would hope that she'll reconsiders because she really needs to address this."
On her Twitter page, Deen promised to release a video statement shortly and posted a picture as she was about to tape it.
The question everyone's asking now is whether Deen can survive the scandal rocking her empire.
She makes an estimated $17 million a year with money pouring in from her TV shows restaurants, cookbooks, magazines, and endorsements.
"I think she's probably very, very scared. She has a lot to lose. She has a huge media empire. She's currently one of Food Network's biggest stars.
The shocking admission about the N-word came in a deposition Deen gave in a lawsuit by a former employee in which she was asked, "Have you ever used the N-word yourself?"
"Yes, of course." she replied.
Twitter is exploding over the Deen scandal.
She's being mocked on the hashtag #paulasbestdishes with recipes like "Ku Klux Klondike Bars", "Back of the Bus Biscuits" and "South Will Rise Again Souffle."
The Daily Show's John Oliver also skewered her, joking, "The N-word? Which one did she use cause I know it wasn't 'Non-fat'.
But now, Deen is hoping to stop the scandal in its tracks.
