While Paula Deen’s Food Network career ended after a 2013 scandal, her marriage to Michael Groover, a tugboat captain, is still going strong. The couple got married in March 2004 when Deen was 57. This was the second marriage for both of them, as they each had two sons from their previous marriages. Their marriage is a unique example of finding love later in life and is notable in several aspects.
For starters, Groover is several years Deen’s junior, which is unusual among regular folks let alone celebrities. The couple also met in a strange way that involved not one but two dog poop accidents. Luckily for the celebrity chef, Groover was a fan of pooches. However, their playful relationship didn’t prevent Deen and Groove from facing some troubling media moments. Groover has been accused of cheating on his famous wife with one of their neighbors, though it was never confirmed.
A little over a year later, Deen and Groover also sparked divorce rumors, which turned out to be wrong. For all we know, they never looked back, even though they have weathered plenty of storms, including Deen’s health issues and diabetes diagnosis. “I met Michael when I was 53, and he’s kept a smile on my face every day since,” she captioned a March 2023 Instagram post. But that doesn’t change that their union has its peculiarities.
Paula Deen met Michael Groover thanks to dog poop
Paula Deen’s love for dogs was responsible for her second marriage. Well, she wasn’t so loving to the pups when it happened. In his 2009 book, “My Delicious Life With Paula Deen,” Michael Groover claimed it was dog poop — and Deen’s failed attempts to control her dogs — that brought the couple together. Groover, who had recently come out of a difficult divorce, had no interest in jumping into a new relationship.
But that changed when Deen’s pets decided his yard was as good a public restroom as any while he was out smoking a cigarette. “I noticed these two tiny, sorry-lookin’ black-and-white dogs who were mighty busy poopin’ all over my lawn,” he wrote. Then magic happened. “When I met this white-haired gal who come galomphin’ onto my property yellin’ her dogs had gotten loose, I got interested,” he shared. Deen apologized to Groover, who, in turn, attempted to hit on her. But it seemingly went over her head.
The dogs wouldn’t let that be the last time they crossed paths, though. Two weeks later, there were the dogs again, pooping. Next thing you know, Groover is helping Deen with her boat. Years into the marriage, dogs continued to play an important role in their lives. “I may be the Queen of Southern Cuisine, but Lulu is the First Lady in our house!” Deen captioned an Instagram photo of their pup walking out of the gate ahead of her and Groover.
Michael Groover is considerably younger than Paula Deen
Age gaps are nothing new in the entertainment industry, with older men marrying much younger women being the norm. Paula Deen and Michael Groover, however, did it the other way around. She is the one who went for a younger man. Groover was born in December 1956 while Deen was born in January 1947, making him almost 10 years younger than the chef. But the age difference was never an issue on their minds.
In fact, Groover liked that Deen was older. “I particularly liked women over forty. As one poet pal put it, ‘They don’t swell, they don’t tell, and they’re grateful as hell,’” he wrote in “My Delicious Life with Paula Deen.” He admitted that wasn’t an actual preference of his, but it was the age range he seemed to succeed in. “I liked all women, but the ones who were older seemed to like me more,” he confessed. In Deen’s case, it didn’t matter.
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Groover was taken in by her youthfulness, regardless of her age. “Her enthusiasm and energy were contagious. She didn’t know me from a hole in the wall, but she was talkin’ fast and grinnin’,” he wrote. For her part, Deen doesn’t seem to have an issue with her age — or with aging. She even seems to embrace the changes each season brings. “Another year has come and gone, and I have to say that 71 was awfully wonderful,” she wrote on her website in 2019.
Paula Deen and Michael Groover have faced infidelity rumors
In 2013, the rumor mill churned up a story that Paula Deen had discovered that Michael Groover had been unfaithful to her. According to the National Enquirer (via Daily Mail), a friend revealed to Deen that Groover had been having an affair with a “sexy middle-age brunette” neighbor. Deen reportedly didn’t take the news lightly at all. “She had an explosive argument with Michael that ended with him storming out of the house,” the insider said.
The affair was supposedly an open secret in the circles they ran in. “It went on for more than a year and the only surprise is that it took Paula so long to find out about it,” the source claimed. Despite it being common knowledge, Groover reportedly tried to convince Deen to the contrary. “He denied cheating, but she wasn’t satisfied he was telling the truth and needled him relentlessly. Finally, Michael got fed up and took off in a huff,” the source added. He continued to maintain his innocence, but it took a toll on the marriage, the insider claimed.
The cheating allegations were never confirmed. On the contrary, sources close to Deen and Groover denied the National Enquirer’s claims. “This story is absolutely not true,” the insider told Us Weekly. The marriage was also far from being on the rocks when the story broke. “They have never been closer. Michael adores her and Paula adores him. They are completely fine,” the source asserted.
Paula Deen and Michael Groover sparked divorce rumors
In July 2015, less than two years after the cheating speculation hit the news, Paula Deen and Michael Groover sparked divorce rumors when she quietly transferred the deed to their $1.3 million Savannah, Georgia, home to his name, Page Six reported. Insiders speculated that the transaction was likely part of a divorce settlement. But she denied it. “These rumors are completely false — they have a wonderful marriage,” a spokesperson for Deen said.
The rep said the legal action had practical motivations. “This deed of gift was just a part of Paula’s estate-planning process,” the spokesperson added. Indeed, the documents stated that the deed of gift was done “for and in consideration of her natural love and affection for her husband.” The rep even pointed out that the cookbook Deen was set to release that year was dedicated to Groover, showing the marriage was as strong as ever. But it turned out to be less rosy than that.
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A year after the transaction, Deen asked that her name be added back to the deed, the Daily Mail reported. In the April 2016 documents, Deen contended the previous transaction had been an error. Deen and Grover sold the mansion, where Deen had previously filmed her show, for a whopping $8.4 million in 2023. “When Paula is in Savannah, she wants an easier and simpler life,” a source told People in 2020. Regardless of the motivations behind the odd transaction, the couple didn’t get divorced.
Michael Groover compared Paula Deen’s cooking to his mother’s
Michael Groover grew up on his mother’s pear crisp pie. Dedicated wife that she is who also happens to be a well-known chef, Paula Deen sought to recreate his beloved dessert. But Groover’s feedback wasn’t what Deen had expected. “Listen, he hurt my feelings so bad,” she told Good Housekeeping in 2008. It turned out that Groover was underwhelmed by her version. “He said, ‘Well, it’s just not nearly as good as my mama’s,’” she recalled him saying.
Deen didn’t let Groover’s criticism bring her down. She went back into the kitchen and tried again — and again and again. She could never impress her husband with it. “I’ll tell you, I’ve tried it many times since, that darn pear crisp, and I still can’t get that sucker right!” she said. Deen doesn’t hold it against him, though. She knew what she was getting into when she married him. “You cannot ask Michael a question if you don’t want the truth. The man doesn’t have a lie in him,” she added.
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Even if Groover isn’t a fan of Deen’s pear crisp pies, he still loves most of his wife’s sweet concoctions. Deen’s banana nut cake, a recipe that was also inspired by her mother-in-law’s cooking, is one of his favorites, she said on her Fox Nation special “At Home with Paula Deen.” And he doesn’t reserve his appreciation for desserts, as he’s also a fan of Deen’s shrimp and grits.