David Evangelista Defends Paula Deen on Facebook

So, unhealthy foods czarina Paula Deen finally made it to the Today show this morning to sit down with Matt Lauer and apologize for being a racist once saying some things that some people may have misinterpreted as being racist.

Deen, who was nearly hysterical at times, insisted that she is not a racist, adding, “I believe that every creature on this earth — every one of God’s creatures — was created equal.”

Most of the people that I’ve seen chatting about this on social media seem to be perfectly happy to be done with Paula Deen (and supportive of the Food Network’s decision to part ways with her), but not celebrity hairstylist David Evangelista, possibly the only graduate of South Jersey’s Highland High School to be nominated for five Emmy awards — albeit for his hairstyling work on the Rosie O’Donnell Show.

Evangelista, who counts Joan Rivers and TV chefs Rachael Ray and Alton Brown among his friends (or so says his Wikipedia) and whom you might recognize from his appearances on CBS’ Early Show, took to Facebook this morning to defend Deen:

This Paula Deen controversy is bullshit. The woman has APOLOGIZED whole heartedly and OWNED up to her mistake.
 

Part of understanding HUMAN fault is FORGIVING. And from that EVOLUTION takes place.
 

Having worked with her, she is NOT the the press has painted.

(The ALL CAPS and typos are his own.)

The comment thread under the post is pretty entertaining, including the part where Evangelista gets into a war of words with Philadelphia-based freelance writer Natalie Hope McDonald, who takes issue with Evangelista’s statement and winds up chastising him for his poor grammar. The whole thing is public (at least for now), so give it a read.