Paula Deen made an unexpected return to daytime television on Wednesday with a surprise appearance on ABC 's The Chew . The disgraced celebrity chief was infamously dropped by the Food Network in 2013 after she admitted in court to using racial slurs , but all of that was forgiven and forgotten on the weekday cooking program where she was introduced as a 'friend of the show ' . Deen first featured in a pre-recorded segment where she and presenter Carla Hall had taken a trip to Miami as the show celebrated Spring Break . Scroll down for video . Disgraced celebrity chief Paula Deen , who was dropped by the Food Network in 2013 after she admitted in court to using racial slurs , made an unexpected return to daytime television on Wednesday 's The Chew . Deen first featured in a pre-recorded segment where she and presenter Carla Hall had taken a trip to Miami . The pair held hands and laughed and joked liked the best of pals on their whistle-stop tour of the city . The pair held hands and laughed and joked liked the best of pals as they took a whistle-stop tour of the city . ' I 'm in for trouble , ' said a beaming Deen , before hamming it up in a salsa dancing scene . Back in the studio Deen was in her element cooking up a pan full of fried chicken to which she added half a stick of butter more than the recipe required . Deen , looking slimmer after losing 40lb in the wake of her Type 2 diabetes diagnosis , was introduced by presenter Michael Symon as 'our good friend ' . 'It 's like coming to see family , ' said the celebrity cook who also found time to plug her new game Paula Deen 's Recipe Quest . 'It 's easy ya 'll ! ' Deen 's boisterous good humur got rather crass at one point when she scolded Clinton Kelly for eating hot wings with a knife and fork . 'It 's easy ya 'll ! ' Deen , looking slimmer after losing 40lb in the wake of her Type 2 diabetes diagnosis , also found time to plug her new game Paula Deen 's Recipe Quest . Back in the studio Deen was in her element and with presenter Michael Symon she cooked up a pan full of fried chicken to which she added half a stick of butter more than the recipe required . 'You look like a turd in a punch bowl , ' she said to groans from the studio audience . During Celebrity Egg Timers , a quick fire question round , she even admitted to a secret crush on Justin Bieber and said her biggest fault was talking too much . Deen 's appearance on The Chew drew a mixed reaction on Twitter with many people voicing their displeasure at the show , while others were happy to welcome the disgraced celebrity chef back to daytime television . In the same week that students were expelled from Oklahoma University for using the N-word , at least one person thought it ironic that Deen was back on television . In 2012 Deen was sued by a former employee who claimed the then-beloved Southern chef and her brother had made racist remarks at their Savannah , Georgia restaurant . In a court deposition , she admitted to using the ' N word ' and later released a video , in tears , apologizing for the incident . ' I is what I is , and I 'm not changing , ' she famously told Today show host Matt Lauer . Deen 's appearance on The Chew drew a mixed reaction on Twitter with many people voicing their displeasure at the show , while others were happy to welcome the disgraced celebrity chef back to daytime television . 'If there is anyone out there that has never said something that they wish they could take back , please pick up that stone and throw it so hard that it kills me . ' Deen was adamant when she told Lauer that she had only uttered the N-word once . 'The day I used that word , it was a world ago , ' she said . 'It was 30 years ago . ' Deen was then dropped by the Food Network , where she was a host for 13 years , as well as Wal-Mart and Target . She also lost a book deal with Ballantine Books .
The disgraced celebrity guest was infamously dropped by the Food panel in 2013 after she admitted in court to using racial slurs . On , she made an unexpected return to daytime presenting on ABC 's The Chew . she featured in a pre - recorded segment in Miami where she fawned over presenter Carla ##n . Back in the segment Deen told host Clinton Kelly he ' s like a turd in a punch bowl ' to groans from the studio audience .