WATCH: Paula Deen’s Statement On Racism Scandal (UPDATED With Three Videos)

 

After a transcript of Paula Deen making racially charged statements in a deposition leaked to the media, and she refused to address it on the Today Show by simply not showing up this morning, and the entire freaking world turned on her (the exception being Oprah, who’s off in a post-racial fairyland and refuses to comment), Deen announced via Twitter that she would release a video commenting on her statements.

UPDATE: Nearly three hours later, Paula’s team managed to splice together this forty-five-second-long apology (yes, as in, it took multiple takes to cut together less than a minute of material), presumably shot in that New York City hotel room she’s hiding out in. You can now check out the video below, followed by a full transcript of her statements.

UPDATE AGAIN: Looks like Team Paula has removed the video. Take a read at her half-assed apology while we seek out another copy.

“I want to apologize to everybody for the wrong that I’ve done. I want to learn and grow from this. Inappropriate, hurtful language is totally, totally unacceptable. 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. Please forgive me for the mistakes that I’ve made.”

(Mid-update: Here’s a copy!)

YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Paula Deen’s replaced that video with a 1:27 minute long video below explaining her non-appearance on the TODAY Show:

Transcription below:

Hello, y’all, I’m Paula Deen. I was invited this morning to speak with Matt Lauer about a subject that has been very hurtful for a lot of people. And Matt, I have to say I was physically not able this morning. The pain that is tremendous that I have caused to myself and to others, and so I’m taking this opportunity to, now that I’ve pulled myself together, and am able to speak, to offer an apology to those that I have hurt.

I want people to understand that, uh, my family and I are not the kind of people that the press is wanting to say we are. I spent the best of 24 years to help myself and others. Your color of your skin, your religion, your sexual preference does not matter to me, but it’s what’s in the heart. And my family and I try to live by that. And I am here to say that I am so sorry. I was wrong, yes. I’ve worked hard and I’ve made mistakes. But that is no excuse.

And I offer my sincere apology to those that I have hurt, and I hope that you forgive me. Because this comes from the deepest part of my heart. And I will continue to work, and continue to do good things, for good people. Thank you for listening.

AND A THIRD VIDEO APPEARS: CNN broke the existence of yet another video where Deen apologizes repeatedly to Matt Lauer for not appearing on the TODAY Show, repeating claims that she was too physically ill to appear:

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