The queen of Southern comfort food has officially been thrown off her throne, after 11 companies have ended partnerships with or taken a break from Paula Deen amid the controversy surrounding her. The latest, and perhaps most shocking, is Ballantine Books, publisher of her upcoming cookbook, "Paula Deen’s New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up.” 
 
 In a brief statement Friday afternoon, Ballantine announced it was canceling its multibook deal with Deen, including publication of her upcoming cookbook, which was scheduled for release in October 2013. The news comes as a surprise, as the book was pushed to No. 1 on Amazon after a surge of pre-orders from fans. 
 
 Walgreens said it was phasing out Deen's products and J.C. Penney, which gave no formal statement, confirmed to NBC News Friday that it would no longer carry Deen-branded merchandise. Sears Holdings announced Friday morning that it would "phase out all products tied to the [Paula Deen] brand. Our members' needs will be given first priority as we work to continue to provide quality cookware in our stores and online." 
 
 Paula Deen, pictured during her emotional TODAY interview on Wednesday, June 26. Peter Kramer / NBC News 
 
 The Food Network, Smithfield Foods, Caesars Entertainment, Novo Nordisk, Wal-Mart, Target and Home Depot, all of which comprised the majority of her empire, also terminated their partnerships with Deen, who appeared in her first live interview on TODAY Wednesday to discuss the scandal over her use of racial slurs. 
 
 QVC's CEO Mike George wrote a blog post Thursday evening saying that, "For now, we have decided to take a pause. Paula won’t be appearing on any upcoming broadcasts and we will phase out her product assortment on our online sales channels over the next few months." 
 
 He left the door open for QVC to have a relationship with Deen in the future, going on to say that while customers "may wonder if this is a 'forever' decision," the company believes "people deserve second chances." 
 
 Diabetes drug maker Novo Nordisk and Target also distanced themselves from Deen on Thursday. 
 
 "Novo Nordisk and Paula Deen have mutually agreed to suspend our patient education activities for now, while she takes time to focus her attention where it is needed,'' the company said in a statement. "Novo Nordisk would like to acknowledge Paula’s involvement in our 'Diabetes in a New Light' campaign, where she has helped make many people aware of type 2 diabetes and the lifestyle changes needed to control this serious disease." 
 
 Deen, who has Type 2 diabetes, had been a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Victoza. 
 
 Target announced that it is ending its relationship with Deen entirely. 
 
 "We have made a decision to phase out the Paula Deen merchandise in our stores as well as on Target.com,'' the company said in a statement. "Once the merchandise is sold out, we will not be replenishing inventory." 
 
 Wal-Mart and Home Depot announced on Wednesday that they were severing ties with her. 
 
 "We are ending our relationship with Paula Deen Enterprises and we will not place new orders beyond those already committed,” Wal-Mart spokesperson Danit Marquardt said on Wednesday. “We will work with suppliers to address existing inventories and agreements." 
 
 Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, has carried a variety of Paula Deen-branded products including cookware and health and wellness products for several years. 
 
 Wednesday evening, a spokesperson for Home Depot confirmed to NBC News that the company will stop carrying Paula Deen-branded items under their kitchen and cookware category. 
 
 Ryan Ruggiero and Scott Stump contributed reporting to this story. 
 
 

 Paula Deen has lost her publisher. The celebrity chef, who's been suffering from a raft of bad press, has had her contract with Random House canceled. On Friday, Random House issued a brief statement about dropping Paula Deen’s New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up, which was to be be published by Ballantine Books in October. By the end of the weekend the multi-book deal Deen signed with the house, in January 2012, was off. 
 
 On Friday Random House said the decision to cancel New Testament came "after careful consideration." As of June 25, the publisher was going ahead with the book, and said it was monitoring the situation. While Target and Wal-Mart had not mentioned the book specifically, both chains announced earlier in the week that they were cutting ties with Deen. Before the RH announcement Friday, both Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million were planning to carry the title, and it was #1 at Amazon, where it has been available for pre-order. 
 
 Deen, who has drawn heat for racist comments she made in a deposition, signed a her deal with RH in January 2012, after publishing her previous books with Simon & Schuster. Deen was under contract for one more cookbook and three original e-books at Random Hosue, but the publisher confirmed that those books have also been canceled. When asked what will happen to the advance Deen recevied from the publisher, which was rumored to be in the millions, Deen's literary agent, Janis Donnaud, said she was unable to "comment further." On the same subject, Random House spokesman Stuart Applebaum said: "We never comment about our past, present, or future author contracts." 
 
 But Donnaud is confident that Paula Deen’s New Testament will find a new publisher...and soon. While she was unable to discuss specifics, she pointed to the book's high ranking on Amazon and said "we have gotten reachouts from other major customers in the book industry today offering support." Speaking to the situation at large, Donnaud said: "I am sorely disappointed in the behavior of Random House for obvious reasons, and other reasons that will become apparent." 
 
 As of the morning of July 1, Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible (Simon & Schuster) was the #1 book on Amazon. 

 When beloved author, TV star, and chef Paula Deen was diagnosed with diabetes, she thought it might be a curse, but it turned out to be a blessing. While food had always played a major part in her life—from offering comfort during the tough early days to making mealtimes special for her family to inspiring her business and professional life—it would now play an even bigger role: as the key to managing her health. By taking charge of her life and making small changes—a little less sugar here, a slight substitution there—she reaped big results. Paula soon found herself forty pounds slimmer and feeling great, all the while eating the Southern favorites we all love: (oven) fried chicken, lower-fat biscuits, and red velvet cake—lightened up! 
 
 
 
 Now she’s back with a brand-new cookbook featuring fresh twists on her treasured recipes for anyone who wants to lose weight, control blood sugar, lower high cholesterol, or just serve healthier meals to their families. Filled with 250 lightened-up-but-still-delicious recipes, Paula Deen’s New Testament offers classics like 
 
 
 
 • Everyone’s Favorite Pimiento Cheese 
 
 • New Savannah Gumbo 
 
 • The Lady’s New Cheesy Mac 
 
 • Beaufort Shrimp Pie 
 
 • Nutty Sweet Potato Balls 
 
 • All-New Peach Cobbler 
 
 
 
 And soon-to-be favorites such as 
 
 
 
 • Crabby Shrimp Dip 
 
 • Kale Caesar Salad 
 
 • Better-Than-Basic Meat Loaf 
 
 • Southwest Chicken Enchiladas 
 
 • Baked Coconut Shrimp 
 
 • Flourless Chocolate Fudge Cake 
 
 
 
 But this is no ordinary cookbook. With honesty, insight, and her trademark Southern charm, Paula also shares for the first time her personal story of triumphs over adversity and explains her decision to go public with her diabetes, a disease that affects millions. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Paula’s dishes or looking to incorporate healthier meals into your life, Paula Deen’s New Testament is a friendly, fun guide to having your cake—and eating it, too!
– Just when you thought there were no more blows left to be dealt to Paula Deen comes this pretty painful one: NBC News reports that company No. 11 is severing ties. Random House imprint Ballantine Books won't go ahead with a planned printing of her new cookbook. Adding to the ouch: The cookbook in question is Paula Deen’s New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up—that's right, the one that shot to No. 1 on Amazon thanks to an avalanche of pre-orders in the wake of her n-word scandal. It was set to come out in October as the first book in a five-book deal, and Deen's agent says the whole deal is kaput. Publishers Weekly reports that Random House said in a short statement that the decision came "after careful consideration." Deen's agent expressed confidence in the book's eventual prospects and wagged a finger at the publisher: "We have gotten reachouts from other major customers in the book industry today offering support. ... I am sorely disappointed in the behavior of Random House for obvious reasons, and other reasons that will become apparent." The AP notes that since all purchases had been pre-orders, no refunds are necessary.