Food Network dumps Paula Deen after she admitted to using racial slurs The Food Network says it will not renew the contract of celebrity chef Paula Deen, days after it was revealed she admitted using racial slurs in the past. The network said in a news release Friday afternoon that it would not renew Deen's contract when it expires at the end of the month. Deen has built an empire from her television shows, cookbooks and product endorsements. The Food Network began airing Paula's Home Cooking in 2002 and added Paula's Best Dishes in 2008. Deen admitted while being questioned as part of a lawsuit that she had used racial slurs in the past. The network's announcement came just hours after she posted a video online apologizing for her past mistakes.