Paula Deen talk leads ‘Today’ to win over ‘Good Morning America’

Paula Deen may be losing business partners faster than she can make biscuit gravy, but her “Today” interview drew a crowd.

The scandal-fried celebrity chef’s sit-down with Matt Lauer on Wednesday lifted NBC’s morning show to its first win over archrival “Good Morning America” since November.

“Today” averaged 4.8 million total viewers, just slipping past “GMA’s” 4.6 million, according to Nielsen.

PHOTOS: Paula Deen scandal

Deen was trying to salvage her reputation after a deposition surfaced last week in which she admitted to using the N-word and other racial insensitivities. On “Today,” she alternated between tears and defiance, denying she was a racist and declaring, “I is what I is.”

Last week, Food Network dropped “The Butter Queen,” as some have called Deen, and this week Wal-Mart Stores and Caesars Entertainment followed suit. On Thursday, Target announced that its stores would also stop carrying Deen’s merchandise.

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Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT