Brilliance from the Tampa Bay Times…

Joshua Gillin at the Tampa Bay Times really hit the nail on the head with this: 

Celebrity cook and butter aficionado Paula Deen has finally admitted to the world she is diabetic, something that shouldn’t surprise longtime Juice* readers, since I told you about that way back in May 2011. But did you know she was diagnosed THREE YEARS AGO?!? Gee, I can’t wait to hear her explain why she kept selling recipes like her Double Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake and Deep Fried Lasagna even after learning she could lose her feet, go blind or end up in a coma and freakin’ die if she ate any of it.  

Turns out, she needed to get a deal in place with a drug company so she could cash in on the disease first: "I was determined to share my positive approach and not let diabetes stand in the way of enjoying my life," she told People on Tuesday, noting she was now a spokeswoman for Novo Nordisk. "I’m excited to team up with Novo Nordisk on this initiative to show others that managing diabetes does not have to stop you from enjoying the things you love."

Well, except no diabetic — The Juice* included, I might add — should really make a habit of eating her Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Cinnamon Cream or Fried Butter Balls. But it’s all okay, see, because she had to deal with her Type II for several years first, before doing the responsible thing and stop making millions off selling crap that is literally killing Americans — except she’s not changing her recipes at all. Whoops.

"I had to really get myself into a place when I made the announcement," she said. "I would come with information, and I would be armed to be able to help others."

As long as she gets paid, that is, which makes the Novo Nordisk deal all the more interesting, given she must take the once-a-day injection Victoza every day to keep from keeling over. Conveniently, her new website with the drug company, DiabetesInANewLight.com, features links to promotional materials for Victoza. There they are, next to the recipe for Grandmother Paul’s Sour Cream Pound Cake.

The worst part? She doesn’t admit the kinds of Southern fried foods she makes are to blame: "That is part of the puzzle," she said on Tuesday’s Today show, noting genetics, lifestyle, stress and age (she turns 65 Thursday) also factor in. "On my show I share with you all these yummy, fattening recipes, but I tell people, ‘in moderation.’ I’ve always eaten in moderation."

Yes, moderation is the watchword on all her cooking shows, of course. Just like the time she punctuated her Paula’s Southern Thanksgiving special in 2008 by saying, "I’m telling you what, you bring a fat girl to a candy store, and you see how big her smile gets."