Is Paula Deen on the verge of a comeback?
The scandal-stricken ex-Food Network personality has garnered between $75 million and $100 million for her new company Paula Deen Ventures, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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The money came from private equity firm Najafi Cos., based in Phoenix. A representative from Paula Deen Ventures says the company is currently speaking with several “TV networks, retail chains and other possible partners,” though curiously, Food Network is not one of them.
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According to to the interview, Deen said the deal with Najafi Cos. came together after she and Najafi were introduced through a mutual friend.
She said she draws confidence from the “hundreds of thousands of folks who signed up on Facebook’s ‘We Support Paula Deen’ page,” adding that “hundreds of thousands of my fans sent me messages of love and support.”
Deen lost millions of dollars in endorsement deals and her Food Network program was cancelled last summer after news came to light over her past use of racial slurs.