The queen of Southern comfort food has officially been thrown off her throne, after 11 companies have ended partnerships with or taken a break from Paula Deen amid the controversy surrounding her. The latest, and perhaps most shocking, is Ballantine Books, publisher of her upcoming cookbook, "Paula Deen’s New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up.” 
 
 In a brief statement Friday afternoon, Ballantine announced it was canceling its multibook deal with Deen, including publication of her upcoming cookbook, which was scheduled for release in October 2013. The news comes as a surprise, as the book was pushed to No. 1 on Amazon after a surge of pre-orders from fans. 
 
 Walgreens said it was phasing out Deen's products and J.C. Penney, which gave no formal statement, confirmed to NBC News Friday that it would no longer carry Deen-branded merchandise. Sears Holdings announced Friday morning that it would "phase out all products tied to the [Paula Deen] brand. Our members' needs will be given first priority as we work to continue to provide quality cookware in our stores and online." 
 
 Paula Deen, pictured during her emotional TODAY interview on Wednesday, June 26. Peter Kramer / NBC News 
 
 The Food Network, Smithfield Foods, Caesars Entertainment, Novo Nordisk, Wal-Mart, Target and Home Depot, all of which comprised the majority of her empire, also terminated their partnerships with Deen, who appeared in her first live interview on TODAY Wednesday to discuss the scandal over her use of racial slurs. 
 
 QVC's CEO Mike George wrote a blog post Thursday evening saying that, "For now, we have decided to take a pause. Paula won’t be appearing on any upcoming broadcasts and we will phase out her product assortment on our online sales channels over the next few months." 
 
 He left the door open for QVC to have a relationship with Deen in the future, going on to say that while customers "may wonder if this is a 'forever' decision," the company believes "people deserve second chances." 
 
 Diabetes drug maker Novo Nordisk and Target also distanced themselves from Deen on Thursday. 
 
 "Novo Nordisk and Paula Deen have mutually agreed to suspend our patient education activities for now, while she takes time to focus her attention where it is needed,'' the company said in a statement. "Novo Nordisk would like to acknowledge Paula’s involvement in our 'Diabetes in a New Light' campaign, where she has helped make many people aware of type 2 diabetes and the lifestyle changes needed to control this serious disease." 
 
 Deen, who has Type 2 diabetes, had been a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Victoza. 
 
 Target announced that it is ending its relationship with Deen entirely. 
 
 "We have made a decision to phase out the Paula Deen merchandise in our stores as well as on Target.com,'' the company said in a statement. "Once the merchandise is sold out, we will not be replenishing inventory." 
 
 Wal-Mart and Home Depot announced on Wednesday that they were severing ties with her. 
 
 "We are ending our relationship with Paula Deen Enterprises and we will not place new orders beyond those already committed,” Wal-Mart spokesperson Danit Marquardt said on Wednesday. “We will work with suppliers to address existing inventories and agreements." 
 
 Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, has carried a variety of Paula Deen-branded products including cookware and health and wellness products for several years. 
 
 Wednesday evening, a spokesperson for Home Depot confirmed to NBC News that the company will stop carrying Paula Deen-branded items under their kitchen and cookware category. 
 
 Ryan Ruggiero and Scott Stump contributed reporting to this story. ||||| Future of Paula Deen's Deals Uncertain Amid Racial Slur Scandal 
 
 Another serving of drama may be coming for Paula Deen, who could lose more deals on the heels of her firing from the Food Network.A representative for the shopping network QVC, which sells her cookware, released a statement Sunday to PEOPLE that expressed "concerns [over] the unfortunate Paula Deen situation," adding, "QVC does not tolerate discriminatory behavior."Following the celebrity chef's admission that she used a racial slur in the past, the network is "closely monitoring these events and the ongoing litigation," continues the representative's statement, which was first reported by TMZ . "We are reviewing our business relationship with Ms. Deen, and in the meantime, we have no immediate plans to have her appear on QVC."Deen, 66, issued a statement less than 24 hours after the Food Network announced on Friday it was dropping the longtime star."I have had the pleasure of being allowed into so many homes across the country and meeting people who have shared with me the most touching and personal stories," she said . "This would not have been possible without the Food Network. Thank you again. Love and best dishes to all of y'all."Deen also has a book, titled Paula Deen's New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up, due to arrive in stores this October. Her publisher, Random House, Inc., has not cancelled her contract. However, a spokesman for Random House, whose imprints include Ballantine Books, tells PEOPLE, "We are monitoring the situation closely."Deen's cookware is also sold at Target, Sears, Walmart, J. C. Penney, and Kmart. Last January, she announced a partnership with Novo Nordisk when she revealed she has type 2 diabetes. The drug maker is standing by her."Paula Deen's still a product spokesperson for the Victoza brand. We recognize the seriousness of these allegations and will follow the legal proceedings closely, staying in contact with her. As a company committed to improving the lives of people with diabetes, Novo Nordisk engaged Deen as a spokeswoman because of Paula's commitment to increasing awareness about diabetes to millions of people in this country."And they aren't the only ones watching the situation. Sears Holdings told PEOPLE late Sunday that "the company is currently exploring next steps as they pertain to Ms. Deen's products."
– As Paula Deen was dropped by seemingly every company she's ever been associated with, Novo Nordisk continued to say it would stand by her—but even that relationship appears to have frayed. The diabetes drug maker that partnered with Deen as she announced she had the disease today announced it is suspending the relationship "for now." A rep tells Eater there is the "option" to resume the partnership in the future, "but it's too early to say" whether that would happen. As if that wasn't bad enough, Target and Home Depot are also severing their relationships with Deen. Target will "phase out" her cooking merchandise and won't be ordering more, a rep tells TMZ. Home Depot also apparently sold her cookware, but will no longer, a rep confirms to NBC News. Still hanging on: Sears, which has said it is evaluating its Deen partnership. Here's the statement from Novo Nordisk: "Novo Nordisk and Paula Deen have mutually agreed to suspend our patient education activities for now, while she takes time to focus her attention where it is needed. Novo Nordisk would like to acknowledge Paula's involvement in our Diabetes in a New Light campaign, where she has helped make many people aware of type 2 diabetes and the lifestyle changes needed to control this serious disease." Her adoring public certainly doesn't seem to care: There's huge demand for her cruise vacations, and her books are selling like butter-slathered hotcakes. (Meanwhile, a former waitress at Deen's restaurant says the celebrity chef used the n-word "all the time." Click for more on that.)