( CNN ) -- Celebrity chef Paula Deen , facing allegations of racism that have caused parts of her empire to crumble , slammed what she called `` horrible , horrible lies '' about her in an emotional , nationally televised interview Wednesday . `` I believe that every creature on this Earth , every one of God 's creatures , was created equal , '' she told NBC 's `` Today '' show . `` ... I believe that everyone ought to be treated equal . '' Deen was raised to never be unkind to anyone , she said . `` I 've had to hold friends in my arms while they 've sobbed , '' Deen said , crying . `` Because they know what 's being said about me -- it 's not true . And I 'm having to comfort them , and tell them it 's going to be all right . If God got us to it , he 'll get us through it . '' The accusations against Deen stem from a lawsuit filed by a former manager of Deen 's restaurants in Savannah , Georgia . Lisa T. Jackson 's lawsuit alleges that Deen and her brother , Bubba Hier , committed numerous acts of violence , discrimination and racism that resulted in the end of Jackson 's five-year tenure at Deen 's Lady & Sons and Uncle Bubba 's Oyster House eateries in Savannah . Deen rejects the allegations . Anne Rice defends Paula Deen . `` There 's someone evil out there that saw what I had worked for and they wanted it , '' Deen told NBC on Wednesday , without naming anyone . In a deposition for the lawsuit , Deen was asked whether she had ever used the `` N-word . '' Deen answered that she had probably used the racial slur when talking to her husband about `` when a black man burst into the bank that I was working at and put a gun to my head '' -- an incident that took place 30 years ago . Opinion : Half-baked apology is recipe for racial indigestion . In the `` Today '' interview , she gave more details about that incident . The man holding the gun was someone she knew , she said . `` I had gone out on a limb for him and gotten him a loan and he was frightened that I was going to recognize him . '' In the deposition , Deen was asked whether she had used the word at any other times since . She responded , `` I 'm sure I have , but it 's been a very long time . '' She added that she may have uttered the word in repeating a conversation that took place between black people . Transcript of Paula Deen 's deposition . In fact , she told NBC , `` It 's very distressing for me to go into my kitchens and I hear what these young people are calling each other . ... Because I think for this problem to be worked on , that these young people are going to have to take control and start showing respect for each other and not throwing that word at each other . It makes my skin crawl . '' Jackson 's lawsuit also claims Deen wanted to plan a party in the style of a Southern plantation , staffed with black waiters dressed to resemble slaves . In her deposition , Deen said she was speaking of an experience she had had in which the wait staff was composed of black men in white jackets and bow ties , and that she had said she would love for Hier to `` experience a very Southern style wedding '' such as that . Paula Deen 's sons : She 's no racist . `` I did not mean anything derogatory by saying I loved their look and their professionalism , '' she added . Amid the firestorm , The Food Network dropped Deen , as did Smithfield Foods , one of her key sponsors . And in another blow , Caesars Entertainment Corp. said Wednesday that it will be ending its relationship with her . There are questions now over whether other businesses , including QVC and Walmart , may cut ties with the star of Southern cooking . Caesars operates Deen-themed restaurants at four of its casinos : Horseshoe Southern Indiana , Harrah 's Tunica in Mississippi , Harrah 's Joliet in Illinois and Harrah 's Cherokee in North Carolina . Deen said she 's thankful that other sponsors have stood by her . Deen and Southern food : Critics say credit is past due . Many fans have flocked to her restaurants in support of Deen . And advance orders for her new cookbook have surged . Deen said she 's `` distressed '' that people whom she 's never heard of are appearing in the media as `` experts on who I am . '' Asked whether she regrets telling the truth in the deposition , Deen answered , `` No . Because there 's a couple of kinds of people that I do n't like , that I am prejudiced against : ... thieves and liars . '' `` If there 's anyone out there that has never said something that they wish they could take back , if you 're out there , please pick up that stone and throw it so hard at my head that it kills me , '' she said tearfully . `` Please -- I want to meet you . '' Paula Deen : From the frying pan to the firestorm .
NEW : Caesars Entertainment Corp. says it will be ending its relationship with Paula Deen . Deen : `` I believe that everyone ought to be treated equal '' Someone `` evil '' is trying to take what she 's worked for , she says . She testified she may have used N-word in repeating talk between black people .