Paula Deen's Partnerships With QVC, Random House in Jeopardy

First the Food Network dropped her, but now QVC, Random House, and Sears are mulling their partnerships with Paula Deen, the celebrity chef who admitted last week to using the N-word in the past.

In a court deposition filed last week, Deen, 66, admitted to previously using racial slurs but said she doesn’t tolerate hateful behavior. The deposition was part of a lawsuit against Deen and her brother that accused them of racial and sexual discrimination against a former restaurant employee.

The admission started a tailspin of negative publicity capped by Deen's firing from the Food Network Friday. Now, her other deals may be in jeopardy.

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QVC, which sells Deen's line of cookware, reportedly has "concerns [over] the unfortunate Paula Deen situation," TMZ reported.

"We are closely monitoring these events and we are reviewing our business relationship with Ms. Deen," a network representative told TMZ. "In the meantime, we have no immediate plans to have her appear on QVC."

Deen's new book, "Paula Deen's New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up," is scheduled to hit shelves in October. Random House, her publisher, hasn't bailed on her yet, but a source said the company is "monitoring the situation closely," according to People magazine.

Sears, which also sells Deen's cookware, is also mulling what to do in light of the scandal, People reported.

Deen is scheduled to appear on the "Today" show Wednesday for a sit-down with Matt Lauer. She flaked on a previously scheduled interview Friday and instead released a video apology.

"Inappropriate, hurtful language is totally, totally unacceptable," Deen said in the video. "I've made plenty of mistakes along the way but I beg you, my children, my team, my fans, my partners — I beg for your forgiveness."

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Experts say the controversy could be career-ending for Deen.

"Paula Deen will survive but she will never be whole again," Reputation.com's vice chairman Howard Bragman told USA Today. "She will never make as much money, she will never have the respect that she once had, there are people that will never be in business with her again."

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Paula Deen Lawsuit: Cook Admits Using N-word, But Doesn't Tolerate Hate