Paula Deen is under fire for making a joke and laughing after she heard about the death of celebrity chef and Food Network star Carl Ruiz.
Ruiz, 44, died Saturday night. An official cause of death has not been released.
Deen was on the phone talking to The Big J Show in Billings, Montana, Monday when she was asked about Ruiz's death. She indicated she didn't personally know Ruiz, who made frequent appearances on The Food Network channel as a competitive chef and judge.
“No, I’m not, but I'm so sorry to hear that," Deen said when asked if she knew him.
Then came the statement that has people upset.
"You know, they say the restaurant business will kill ya,” she said, laughing at her own joke. She followed it up with what sounded like "No pun intended."
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People on Twitter had strong reactions to Deen's comments.
"How sad to see Paula Deen once again speak without thinking about Chef Carl Ruiz’s untimely death. Apparently, she didn’t learn her lesson after losing her empire after racial slurs several years ago. Is it insensitivity or just plain ignorance? I’m thinking the latter," tweeted Susan Brocker.
"Will never buy anything from her brand again," tweeted Kimberly McBride.
"Glad she is not at @FoodNetwork," tweeted @burgundylue.
TEGNA has reached out to a Deen spokesperson for comment, but has yet to hear back.
Ruiz was an Institute of Culinary Education graduate and opened a slew of restaurants around the world. La Cubana, his most recent restaurant, opened in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood in June and features the cuisine of his Cuban heritage. The restaurant said it plans to honor Ruiz's memory by establishing a scholarship for aspiring chefs.